The 2026 Georgia Milestones test results were released this week, minus some important categories of metrics.
The Georgia Department of Education has been revising its standards for Reading and English Language Arts, and is delaying release of those test scores until November.
At the middle and high school levels, East Cobb News has been breaking down 8th grade English Language Arts and the four subject-area high school tests.
(In a separate post, looked at elementary school results.)
For the Georgia Milestones assessments, students are tested in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts, reading and math, in grades 5-8 in those subjects plus science, and all those subjects plus social studies in grade 8.
Those are formally called End of Grade Assessments.
High school students are tested in American Literature, algebra, biology and U.S. history under what’s called the End of Course Assessments.
A total of 20 different assessments are measured at the end of each semester, as well as the end of the school year.
Students are categorized in one of four levels, based on those test scores: Level 1 is Beginning Learner, Level 2 is a Developing Learner, Level 3 is a Proficient Learner and Level 4 is Distinguished Learner.
Here’s the link to the Georgia Milestones dashboard, but a warning: There is a massive amount of information and instructions on how to use it.
Broader state education data, including district- and school-level test results, can be found at this link.
The 8th grade math scores at elementary schools in East Cobb (see the table at the bottom of this post) show a variety of differences from 2025.
The same goes for high school tests in biology, algebra and U.S. history (see 2025 test results for a comparison).
What the tables below do not show—again because of state delays—are 8th grade English Language Arts and high school American literature and composition. That testing data will be available in November, according to the Georgia Department of Education.
Schools in East Cobb reported some of the highest figures in the Cobb County School District.
According to a Cobb school district release, 82 percent of all students tested at 82 percent in proficiency levels and above, the highest for a large district in metro Atlanta.
At Lassiter that figure was 94 percent, and at Pope and Walton, those figures were at 90 percent.
At Simpson Middle School, 98.7 of the students taking the Milestones tests were deemed proficient learners and above in social studies, while that metric was 97.9 percent at Dodgen and 97.5 at Hightower Trail.
8th Grade Math
| # Tested | % Proficient Learners and Above | % Distinguished Learners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniell | 260 | 51.9 | 21.9 |
| Dickerson | 362 | 90.3 | 69.1 |
| Dodgen | 386 | 88.9 | 58.5 |
| East Cobb | 432 | 38.9 | 22.0 |
| Hightower Trail | 320 | 87.5 | 57.5 |
| Mabry | 113 | 81.4 | 43.4 |
| McCleskey | 184 | 60.3 | 33.2 |
| Simpson | 310 | 73.2 | 43.2 |
| Cobb | 7,729 | 55.4 | 29.1 |
| Georgia | 126,997 | 46.4 | 23.1 |
High School Biology
| # Tested | 2026 % Proficient Learners and Above | 2025 % Proficient Learners and Above | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kell | 318 | 63.8 | 73.7 |
| Lassiter | 510 | 79.6 | 80.3 |
| Pope | 453 | 81.5 | 84.1 |
| Sprayberry | 397 | 46.1 | 58.8 |
| Walton | 668 | 86.2 | 85.5 |
| Wheeler | 623 | 55.9 | 63.3 |
High School Algebra
| # Tested | 2026 % Proficient Learners and Above | 2025 % Proficient Learners and Above | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kell | 341 | 56.3 | 46.7 |
| Lassiter | 327 | 74.9 | 80.3 |
| Pope | 236 | 67.4 | 64.1 |
| Sprayberry | 354 | 41.8 | 39.4 |
| Walton | 395 | 81.8 | 70.6 |
| Wheeler | 497 | 41.4 | 31.2 |
High School U.S. History
| # Tested | 2026 % Proficient Learners and Above | 2025 % Proficient Learners and Above | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kell | 346 | 64.7 | 55.8 |
| Lassiter | 297 | 89.5 | 89.4 |
| Pope | 178 | 78.7 | 80.3 |
| Sprayberry | 328 | 57.7 | 60.3 |
| Walton | 377 | 76.4 | 89.2 |
| Wheeler | 351 | 35.3 | 45.3 |
Related:
- 2026 Milestones test results: East Cobb elementary schools
- East Cobb schools earn top marks in Georgia Niche rankings
- Together With Families holds NE Cobb back-to-school bash
- Mediation stalls between Cobb, schools over tax collections
- Mobile food pantry at Brumby ES kicks off new school year
- Former Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney remembered
- 300+ Cobb students get glasses in ‘Vision to Learn’ exams
- Cobb superintendent, citizens clash over Trump Wheeler visit
- East Cobb students earn National PTA ‘Reflections’ honors
- Trump draws fans, foes to ‘rocking and rollin’ Wheeler HS rally
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