2022-2023 | CLASS ACT 31
2021-22 ACCOLADES
ACCREDITATION
RENEWAL
The Cherokee County
School District’s international
accreditation as a
high-quality school system
has been renewed for
another five years!
Accreditation is the
highest level of overall
accountability for school
systems. It is achieved
through an independent
review by a team of education
professionals who
measure excellence by set
standards. CCSD is accredited
by Cognia, formerly
known as AdvancED and
SACS, which is considered
the world’s top accreditation
organization by both
public and private school
systems and colleges and
universities.
Cognia in March reviewed
CCSD in three main
areas: Learning, which
includes curriculum,
instruction and assessment;
Resources, which
includes use of resources
entrusted to it by taxpayers;
and Leadership, which
includes the governance of
the School Board and
Superintendent of Schools,
including accountability
and transparency efforts
and School Board policies.
The full report and
review team presentation is
online at https://www.
cherokeek12.net/Content2/
accreditation. As part of
the review, the team awarded
an overall score for the
district. The overall score
is 377.74, which not only
exceeds the average scores
of 278.34 to 283.33, but
also topped CCSD’s score
from five years ago of
315.85, which at the time
was the highest score ever
earned.
ACHIEVEMENT
HIGHLIGHTS
The Georgia School
Boards Association awarded
the Cherokee County
School Board its 2021-22
Governance Team of the
Year award, the State’s
highest honor for leadership
and dedication to
providing the best education
possible to every child.
The prestigious award
requires school districts’
governance teams meet
stringent requirements
encompassing all duties:
Teaching & Learning
Resources; Governance,
Leadership & Accountability;
Human & Organizational
Capital; Teaching,
Learning & Assessment;
Climate, Culture & Stakeholder
Engagement; School
Finance; Communications
& Messaging; and Early
Learning & Student Success.
CCSD has earned an
overall accountability
performance better than
90% of Georgia school
districts, according to the
Governor’s Office of Student
Achievement’s most
recent reporting.
CCSD’s graduation rate
has reached a new high,
with 90.8% of the Class of
2021 earning a diploma
within four years of entering
high school. CCSD has
grown its graduation rate
more than 15 percentage
points since 2012. The
CCSD Class of 2021 rate
also is the second highest
among metro Atlanta
counties.
According to State data
collected from Georgia
public colleges and universities,
when CCSD students
move on to college, they’re
more prepared than their
classmates, as 97 percent
don’t need a single remedial
class.
CCSD has earned 4.5
stars (out of a possible 5) in
the State’s Financial Efficiency
Star Ratings measuring
school districts’
spending per student in
relation to those students’
academic performance –
earning one of the best
scores in the State.
CCSD has earned its
highest marks for cultivating
a positive school climate:
4 stars (out of a
possible 5) in the State’s
annual ratings, which
measure how a community
views the quality of its
school’s culture and character.
The average SAT Score
for CCSD’s Class of 2021 is
1125, which is 87 points
over the National average
and 48 points over the
State average. All CCSD
high schools topped National
and State averages
on the exam! The gap
between CCSD and U.S.
averages widened by 17
points.
CCSD’s Class of 2021
earned an average ACT
score of 23.2, continuing to
outscore both National and
State averages on the
competitive college entrance
and placement
examination. CCSD’s
average composite score
ranks in the Top 10% of all
180 school districts in
Georgia.
All CCSD high schools,
for the 11th consecutive
year, have earned top
honors for outstanding
Advanced Placement (AP)
programs and performance
that continues to exceed
National and State averages.
All CCSD high schools
again earned recognition as
AP STEM and AP STEM
Achievement Schools, and
three – Creekview HS,
Etowah HS and River
Ridge HS – also were
named AP Humanities and
AP Humanities Achievement
Schools. Two schools
– Creekview HS and Woodstock
HS – additionally
earned AP School of Distinction
Honors.
CCSD students who
took AP exams in 2021
earned passing scores of 3
or higher on 73% of the
5,028 tests administered,
as compared to 58% for
Georgia and 59% nationwide.
Assuming each exam
equals one college course
for which students and
their parents avoid tuition
costs, these CCSD students
earned $3.7 Million in
Georgia in-state college
tuition through passing AP
courses!
For the third consecutive
year, the Georgia
School Boards Association
has awarded the School
Board its Leading Edge
Award in the Culture,
Climate & Organizational
Efficacy category -- this
year for the CCSDcares
mental health and wellness
initiative. The awards
recognize innovative
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