Beecher Hills Elementary School vs Bolton Academy Elementary

Bolton Academy Elementary edges out Beecher Hills Elementary School by 0.3 overall rating points — 9.1 versus 8.8 on a 10-point scale. The state rank gap is more telling: Bolton Academy Elementary sits at #51 of 2,268 Georgia schools, while Beecher Hills Elementary School ranks #115 of the same 2,268 — a 64-position difference that places both schools firmly in the top 5% statewide, though Bolton Academy holds a clear positional advantage. Separated by only 5.7 miles in Atlanta, these two PK–05 schools serve meaningfully different populations despite their geographic proximity.

The academic scores are nearly identical — Beecher Hills Elementary School at 7.6/10 and Bolton Academy Elementary at 7.7/10, a one-tenth-point difference that is effectively a tie. Where the gap opens is growth: Bolton Academy Elementary scores 9.6/10 on student growth versus Beecher Hills Elementary School's 9.1/10, a half-point delta that reflects how much academic progress students make year over year relative to peers. Both scores are strong, but Bolton Academy's 9.6 growth score ranks among the highest in the state and signals that students there are consistently outpacing expectations.

The demographic and resource picture diverges sharply. Beecher Hills Elementary School enrolls 252 students with a 10.1:1 student-teacher ratio and serves a population that is 80% free or reduced lunch eligible. Bolton Academy Elementary enrolls 557 students — more than twice as many — at a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio, with 41% of students on free or reduced lunch. Beecher Hills's smaller class sizes give individual students more direct teacher access, a structural advantage that likely contributes to its strong showing despite serving a higher-need population.

Both schools cover the same grade band, PK through 5th, so families with children in that range will find comparable grade access at either campus. The meaningful programmatic distinction lies in school culture and community composition: Beecher Hills Elementary School operates as a high-touch, equity-focused environment with some of the lowest class sizes in Atlanta, while Bolton Academy Elementary combines a larger, more diverse enrollment with exceptional growth outcomes and a top-50 statewide rank.