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Clarke County Ranks in Top 10 on List of Georgia's Most Equitable School Districts

WalletHub.com

Clarke County students are joining their peers around the nation and across the state in heading back to school and many teachers are reporting significant learning loss during the pandemic. A recent study by the personal finance website WalletHub shows less affluent school districts are disproportionately impacted. Analyst Jill Gonzalez.

““So when we’re talking equity we’re essentially looking at funding and comparing that to the types of school districts that there are, especially low-income and high income,” Gonzalez said. “We’re essentially measuring average household income, and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.”

Clarke County fares better than most when it comes to the list of the Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Georgia.

“Clarke County ranks as the seventh most equitable county in Georgia and so Georgia overall has the 15th most equitable school districts [in the nation].

Gonzalez says there are tangible benefits to increasing equity.

“Having equity in schools basically helps put kids on a level playing field. It means that they can learn at the same levels, it means that dropout rates could level out, it means that median weekly earnings, people down the line, could level out as well. Job prospects get better, just more fair outcomes for everyone.”  

The equity rankings for surrounding counties varied. Oglethorpe County came in at number five on the list, Madison County number 49, Barrow County number 95, Jackson 161 and Oconee County was 176 on the list.

College graduates have $524 to $1,112 higher median weekly earnings that people with a high school diploma and no college experience.

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