20 Best Public High Schools in Georgia – 2025
June 20, 2025
From Spanish moss-adorned cities to serene, rural landscapes, you can find some of the best public high schools in Georgia. In this blog, I’ll help you find them and I’ll highlight what makes each of them unique and exciting. Whether you’re seeking top-tier academic programs, robust extracurricular activities, or promising athletics, the best public schools in Georgia offer a wealth of opportunities designed to foster student success. Without further ado, let’s get to it. (Because any one of these schools will provide a top-notch education, this list is presented alphabetically.)
Best Public High Schools in Georgia
1) Alliance Academy for Innovation
- Location: Cumming (Forsyth County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,124
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1221 / 27
With a name that sounds like it was made up for a Marvel movie, it should come as no surprise that the school’s mascot is “The Avengers.” Students at AAI can pursue classes in six different interest-themed academies — aerospace and drone technology, cybersecurity and digital intelligence, international business, finance and law, healthcare and public safety, hospitality and design, as well as something called “mechtronics and robotics.” AAI offers the usual selection of AP and dual-enrollment courses, as well as simulated work environments, internships, and industry certification.
2) A.R. Johnson Magnet
- Location: Augusta (Richmond County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 669 (grades 6-12)
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 16:1 (grades 6-12)
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1064 / not disclosed
With 79% minority enrollment, there’s no doubt that Johnson Magnet is fighting for social mobility against stiff structural headwinds. With such a noble mission, you’d think their vision statement would be more coherent. As it is, we read that Johnston aims to “develop a globally conscious student who exhibits an inquiry-based mindset developed through the infusion of the Engineering Design Process and real-world experiences across our curriculum.” If you want to see more, Johnson Magnet has an inspirational slideshow set to blandly inspirational music.
3) Chattahoochee High School
- Location: Alpharetta (Fulton County Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,836
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1178 / 25
Chattahoochee High School is a Blue Ribbon School with robust athletic teams, which have produced several professional athletes. Additionally, about half of their students participate in their Talented & Gifted Program by taking seminar courses, AP courses, internships, and directed-study courses. None of this is suprising considering that this school is one of the best public high schools in Georgia.
4) Columbus High School
- Location: Columbus (Muscogee County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,131
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1197 / 24
Columbus High School is a magnet school that offers a rigorous but well-rounded educational experience. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are required to complete 20 hours of community service with a local non-profit each year, fostering civic responsibility and empathy. Additionally, seniors are required to complete a senior project or AP research project. First, seniors choose an activity that’s unfamiliar to them. Then, as they try that activity, they work alongside a mentor for 50 hours, while documenting their progress. At the end of the year, they present this work in a portfolio to a panel of judges.
5) DeKalb School of the Arts
- Location: Avondale Estates (DeKalb County School District)
- Enrollment: 302
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1139 / 23
With just over 300 students and an enviable student-teacher ratio, DSA offers an intimate educational experience. Unfortunately, their website is extremely difficult to navigate. I’m sure they offer the standard suite of AP and dual-enrollment, but with a focus on “empowering artist-scholars to lead and transform lives through arts and innovation.”
6) Elite Scholars Academy School
- Location: Jonesboro (Clayton County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 730 (grades 6-12)
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1 (grades 6-12)
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1169 / 24
Though its name sounds like it was thought up by a soul-less corporate focus group, Elite Scholars Academy School has much to recommend it. As an early-college magnet school, it offers the usual combination of AP courses and dual enrollment. The school also features a digital animation lab, as well as athletic facilities, including a gymnasium, tennis court, soccer field, and track. Strangely, ECA has a “school creed,” which is not creepy at all. The creed ends with the “Elite Scholar Royal Knight” declaring that “I am the world and the world is me!”
7) Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
- Location: Lawrenceville (Gwinett County School District)
- Enrollment: 1,290
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1347 / 30
Students at GSMST receive an education that emphasizes STEM subjects. What’s more, they can choose to focus their studies on one of three areas: bioscience, engineering, and emerging technologies. To get into GSMST, students have to win the lottery (well, a lottery). Qualifying students are assigned a lottery number, and 375 students are drawn and accepted each year. You have to have brains and luck to get into one of the best public high schools in Georgia.
8) John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
- Location: Augusta (Richmond County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 656 (grades 6-12)
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 16:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1064 / not disclosed
While this school’s SAT scores are just a hair above the state average, Davidson Magnet is all about the arts. What’s more, Davidson complements their college preparatory curriculum with fine arts courses in music, chorus, visual arts, cinema production, dance, and theater. Named a Grammy Signature School in 2005, Davidson has also been a Grammy Signature School semi-finalist several times since. What’s more, you might recognize alumna Antonia Gentry from Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia.
9) Johns Creek High School
- Location: Johns Creek (Fulton County Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,895
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1182 / 26
Home of the Gladiators, Johns Creek High School believes in integrity, service, and excellence. In addition to their strong academic, athletic, and art programs, the school offers a wide variety of clubs to help students develop their interests and reach their full potential. Some interesting examples of their club offerings are Habitat for Humanity, Fencing, Origami Club, Future Women of Healthcare, Hack Club, Invest Club, Not Alone Club, A Capella Club, and Eco Care Alliance.
10) Lambert High School
- Location: Suwanee (Forsyth County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 3,233
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 20:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1229 / 26
Since the 2020-21 school year, Lambert High School has been the only school in Georgia to implement a therapy dog program for special needs students. Their first full-time therapy dog, a black lab named Duck, found his calling after he failed out of duck hunting school. Since Duck, the school has also hired other dogs, including Clover, Charlie, and Maggie, who have also become beloved staff members.
11) Lassiter High School
- Location: Marietta (Cobb County School District)
- Enrollment: 1,979
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1177 / 24
Lassiter High School’s motto is “Reaching excellence and climbing higher.” So while Lassiter offers an excellent curriculum schoolwide, students also have the opportunity to apply for the Lassiter STEM Academy. This program allows students to choose between two pathways: biomedical science or engineering. Each pathway leads students toward internships and real-world experiences, ultimately culminating in a capstone project.
12) McIntosh High School
- Location: Peachtree City (Fayette County School District)
- Enrollment: 1,786
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1173 / 24
In the charming Peachtree City, you’ll see a whole lot of teenagers driving golf carts from place to place. What’s more, McIntosh High School has a dedicated golf cart parking lot, and at this point, there are more golf carts parked at the school than cars. Why? Because they can. The community is made up of a winding trail network that allows for golf carts to be the primary mode of transportation. What’s more, any student over the age of 15 wielding a learner’s permit can get behind the wheel of one of those bad boys. I suppose students expect golf carts at one of the best public high schools in Georgia.
13) Milton High School
- Location: Alpharetta (Fulton County Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,036
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1112 / 25
Recently named a “School of Excellence,” Milton High School has a long history of growing and adapting to serve its students. The school began in 1921 without buses, lunches, heating, or plumbing and now their students thrive on their beautiful, expansive campus.
14) North Gwinnett High School
- Location: Suwanee (Gwinnett County School District)
- Enrollment: 3,156
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1205 / 25
North Gwinnett High School offers 26 Advanced Placement courses and their goal is for every student to take at least one. In addition, their student leadership programs are student-written, planned, and led, empowering students to become independent learners and leaders.
15) North Oconee High School
- Location: Bogart (Oconee County School District)
- Enrollment: 1,499
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1143 / 25
It’s not easy to follow the hodgepodge of buzzwords in NOHS’s mission/vision statement, but “rigor, relevance, [and] relationships” feature prominently. The teachers, staff, and administration also want to “teach, inspire, transform, and nurture,” and value “character, integrity, and good citizenship.” At the very least, their hearts are in the right place. What’s more, NOHS offers a bevy of AP exams and boasts of its 95% AP exam pass rate. AP exams not your thing? No problem! Students at NOHS can pursue an agricultural or technical education pathway as well.
16) Northview High School
- Location: Duluth (Fulton County Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,642
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1229 / 26
Home of the Titans, Northview High School offers students a rich music program, a strong athletic program, and over 80 clubs including, but not limited to: Creative Writing, Cricket Club, Feminism Empowers Me, Movie Club, Positivity Project, Improv Club, and Environmental Club.
17) Rainey-Mccullers School of the Arts
- Location: Columbus (Muscogee County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 347 (grades 6-12)
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 12:1 (grades 6-12)
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1074 / not disclosed
You might be wondering how Rainey Mccullers got onto this list with an average SAT score that’s only 40 points about the state average. Well, you see, RMSOTA is for les artistes who can’t be bothered to study for the SAT. But seriously, students can study visual art, dance, music, creative writing, or theatre at Rainey-Mccullers. What’s more, the school also offers an innovative “Artists in Medicine” program, which is guaranteed to assuage the concerns of any parent who’s wondering, “You want to study art? In this economy?” In spite of this, RMSA is definitely one of the best public high schools in Georgia.
18) Savannah Arts Academy
- Location: Savannah (Savannah-Chatham County)
- Enrollment: 861
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 15:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1173 / 27
At SAA, students can focus on one of five media: music, visual arts, theatre, dance, or film studies. At the same time, SAA boasts the largest Advanced Placement program in the district, administering over 1,000 exams on average per year. What’s more, this commitment to arts and academics can be seen in their mission statement. It reads, “Educational and artistic growth are two essential pillars that prepare students for a successful future by equipping them with the foundational knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of the modern world.” Sure, it’s bland enough to have been written by ChatGPT, but what’s not these days?
19) South Forsyth High School
- Location: Cumming (Forsyth County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,547
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1214 / 24
In addition to its AP course offerings, South Forsyth High School offers International Baccalaureate courses and an IB Career Related Programme. This way students have many different pathways with which to advance their studies and hone their skills.
20) Walton High School
- Location: Marietta (Cobb County School District)
- Enrollment: 2,751
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT/ACT Score: 1225 / 25
Scenes from the 2003 film Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd were filmed throughout Walton High School, featuring their auto shop, gym, cafeteria, and science rooms. But rest assured, the students here are smart and smarter. Walton’s college preparatory curriculum, STEM Programs, Pathway Programs, and International Spanish Academy provide a challenging and well-rounded education.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the best public high schools in Georgia set a high standard for academic achievement and holistic development. Their commitment to nurturing young minds and fostering success is evident. But if you’re not quite sure about the best public schools in Georgia, check out the best private schools in Atlanta. Good luck!
Want to read more about high school success? Check out the links below.
