The Georgia Department of Education just released the 2024–2025 Literacy Leader and Math Leader Awards list — and Banks County is among the honorees!
During the 2025-2026 school year, the Georgia Department of Education is recognizing schools that demonstrated exceptional achievement or growth in reading and mathematics during the 2024-2025 school year — naming Literacy Leader schools for excellence in reading and Math Leader schools for excellence in mathematics.
Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins expressed her excitement and highlighted the system-wide effort: “We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for earning these recognitions. These awards highlight the excellence happening every day across Banks County Schools and the outstanding leadership of our educators and students.”
Banks County High School has been recognized as a Literacy Leader for High School Growth. Schools earn this distinction when the percentage of third-grade, sixth-grade, or high school students reading at or above grade level increases according to the state’s tiered growth criteria.
Banks County High School was also named a Math Leader for High School Growth, an honor awarded to schools where the percentage of fifth-grade, eighth-grade, or high school students scoring proficient or above in mathematics increases, based on the same tiered growth criteria.
Banks County Middle School earned recognition as a Math Leader for High School Outstanding Achievement. Schools receive this award when 90 percent or more of fifth-grade, eighth-grade, or high school students score proficient or above in mathematics on the 2024–2025 Georgia Milestones assessments.
The Literacy Leader and Math Leader honors celebrate schools that demonstrate extraordinary student progress and proficiency. Schools are recognized for achievement, growth, or both on annual end-of-grade or end-of-course assessments. The criteria recognize the crucial importance of grade-level reading in third and sixth grades and numeracy skills in fifth and eighth grades, and require higher growth from schools with lower achievement levels.
Dr. Amanda Dale, Director of School Improvement and Assessment, shared: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication that each of our students and teachers pour into our students every single day. We have so much to celebrate in our county, and these accomplishments reflect the continued commitment to academic excellence across Banks County Schools”.
A total of 406 schools were recognized as 2024–2025 Literacy Leaders and 479 as Math Leaders across Georgia. At the elementary and middle school levels, awards were given based on the state’s outlined criteria; at the high school level, recognition was determined by performance on the American Literature EOC (for ELA) and the Algebra: Concepts and Connections EOC (for mathematics). Literacy Leader qualifications use the Georgia Milestones Reading Status indicator, derived from the Lexile score tied to a subset of ELA assessment questions, while Math Leader qualifications are based on students achieving the Proficient Learner level or above on the Georgia Milestones mathematics assessments.
For more information about the continued efforts in Banks County Schools, please contact Dr. Amanda Dale at 706-677-2224 or [email protected].