Get your copy of the AJC Ultimate School Guide . That's true pretty much anywhere, but it's exaggerated in a state with large contrasts between wealth and poverty and a funding system that provides Atlanta schools with nearly twice as much money per pupil as schools in Pelham, a small South Georgia town. It's a state where 70 percent of students taking the high school graduation test in some rural counties fail the science section, and where about 40 percent of fourth-graders on one national test were rated as reading below the basic level. National test scores vary widely, depending on the school. Scores in Atlanta's suburbs are generally among the highest in Georgia, although some city schools also do well.
Education also takes the largest chunk of property taxes.
Lottery proceeds pay for the pre-k program, available throughout the state, and the HOPE scholarship. Under HOPE, which was first offered in 1993, Georgia high school students with at least a B average in core subjects receive tuition, fees and a book allowance to attend a state university. The program also provides a scholarship to private college students and pays the tuition of technical school students. Once in college, students must maintain a B average to keep the scholarship. Studies show that more than half don't.