2026 Georgia Milestones Results Provide Evidence of Broader, Systemwide Academic Improvement in Newton County Schools
District results build on multiple years of progress and show encouraging signs that improvement efforts are translating into stronger student outcomes.
Newton County Schools’ 2026 Georgia Milestones results provide evidence that the district’s academic improvement is becoming broader and more consistent across the system, building on multiple years of progress and reflecting a sustained focus on building a balanced system of teaching and learning.
The significance of the results extends beyond any individual assessment or grade level. For the past few years, the district has identified a central challenge – to move from pockets of excellence to stronger, more consistent performance across the entire system. The challenge has been creating the conditions that allow more students, in more schools, to experience success.
The 2026 state testing results provide encouraging evidence that the district is beginning to make that shift.
“We have been intentional about strengthening teaching and learning,” said Superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley. “We have now seen multiple years of improved outcomes, and the question for us has been whether we can sustain that progress and accelerate it. We’ve actually done both.”
But, how?
The district’s approach has centered on strengthening the “instructional core” — the fundamental practices that shape what students experience in classrooms.
That includes stronger standards-based Tier 1 instruction, the use of high-quality instructional materials, targeted professional learning, regular classroom observation and feedback, and the use of assessment data to adjust instruction.
“We’ve addressed all of these things,” Bradley said. For example, not long ago, the district conducted a comprehensive instructional resource audit to examine the materials being used across schools and classrooms. The review led to the removal or replacement of resources that were underutilized, ineffective or misaligned with state standards and requirements. These kinds of changes are not always visible to the public, nor are they immediately impactful. But they are essential to building a stronger instructional system over time.
“We have asked a lot of our teachers and school leaders,” Bradley said. “We have raised expectations, strengthened practices and made changes that were necessary to improve the experience and outcomes of our students. That work is not always easy, but nothing changes if nothing changes. Our responsibility is to create the conditions for teachers to be successful and for students to learn more.”
What the Data Shows; Mathematics Stands Out the Most
The district’s 2026 results show noteworthy gains across multiple grade levels and content areas.
In mathematics, students were assessed under Georgia’s redesigned K–12 mathematics standards. Despite the changes to the standards and assessment, the district recorded year-over-year gains in four tested grades:
• Grade 3: 73.9% to 75.0% (+1.1 pt. improvement)
• Grade 4: 65.7% to 69.0% (+3.3 pt. improvement)
• Grade 6: 55% to 62% (+7 pt. improvement)
• Grade 8: 61% to 64% (+3 pt. improvement)
Together, those gains resulted in 134 more students performing at the Proficient or above level in mathematics than the previous year.
Additional Gains Were Evident Across Other Areas
• High School Physical Science: Proficient and Above increased from 51.7% to 65.9%, a 14.2-point gain.
• Eighth-Grade Social Studies: Developing and Above increased from 54.9% to 65.3%, the highest level in five years.
• Biology: Proficient and Above increased from 24% to 27%.
• Eighth-Grade Science: Performance improved across each major achievement measure.
• Algebra: Distinguished performance increased from 7% to 9%.
• U.S. History: Distinguished performance increased from 3% to 5%.
These results also show movement across the achievement continuum, because in several assessments, fewer students are performing at the Beginning Learner level while more students are reaching Developing,
Fewer Beginning Learners, More Students Achieving Proficient and Distinguished Status
For example, Beginning Learners in high school Physical Science decreased from 18.2% to 8.8%, while Distinguished performance increased from 9.4% to 19.2%. In Eighth-Grade Social Studies, Beginning Learners declined from 45.1% to 34.7%, while Developing and Above increased to 65.3%.
The broader significance is that improvement is occurring at multiple levels of achievement — fewer students at the lowest performance level, more students reaching proficiency, and more students performing at the distinguished level.
Building on Multiple Years of Momentum
The Milestones exam represents only one measure of student performance, they align with other indicators, including sustained improvements in CCRPI, graduation rates, and year-over-year academic trends, that together paint a clearer picture of a district on an upward trajectory.
While the district recognizes there is still important work ahead, these results provide confidence that the right foundation has been built.
"We've demonstrated what is possible," Bradley said. "Now, our responsibility is to build on our momentum. Our forthcoming Strategic Plan will provide an opportunity to clearly define the next level of performance we expect for our students and our schools, and then align our work around achieving it."