The Georgia Department of Education has released the 2018 School Climate Star Ratings for local schools across the state. For the first time since the inception of School Climate Star Ratings, nine Walton County schools achieved 5-star ratings, the highest state ranking for positive school culture, and all schools were rated a three or higher.  

“I am more than excited to see such a strong improvement in our school climate ratings this year,” said Superintendent Nathan Franklin. “Since human vigilance is number one when it comes to school safety, we count on our schools to create school climates that are conducive to positive communication and trust. As a district, we have placed an intense focus on improving this aspect across all of our schools with initiatives such as PBIS. I am proud to see our schools achieve the most aggressive one-year growth and highest ratings since 2014 and appreciate the hard work of our administrators and staff.”

School climate refers to the quality and character of school life – the "culture" of a school. A positive school climate fosters youth development and student learning, which are essential elements for academic success, career-skill improvement and overall quality of life. 

The School Climate Star Rating assesses the climate of a school on a 1-5 scale using the following indicators: 
• Survey – a measure of student, teacher and parent perceptions of a school’s climate
• Student Discipline – a measure of student discipline 
• Safe and Substance-Free Learning Environment – school discipline incidents and student survey responses on the use of illegal substances and the prevalence of violence, bullying and unsafe incidents within a school
• Attendance – the average daily attendance of teachers, administrators and staff members and the percentage of students with fewer than six unexcused absences

Annually, each school in Georgia receives a one- to five-star rating, with five stars representing an excellent school climate and one star representing a school climate most in need of improvement.

Walton County School District’s 2018 School Climate Star Ratings are as follows: 

*5-Star Rating