Burgess-Peterson Elementary School vs Fernbank Elementary School

Burgess-Peterson Elementary School holds a 0.7-point overall rating advantage over Fernbank Elementary School — 9.5/10 versus 8.8/10 — and that gap is even sharper in state rank context: Burgess-Peterson sits at #6 of 2,268 Georgia elementary schools while Fernbank ranks #86. Both schools are strong performers separated by just 2.8 miles in Atlanta, but Burgess-Peterson's position in the top 0.3% of the state places it in genuinely elite territory by any measure.

Academically, Burgess-Peterson Elementary School scores 8.7/10 versus Fernbank Elementary School's 8.0/10 — a 0.7-point delta that mirrors the overall gap and suggests the academic component is driving most of the difference. Where the two schools converge completely is on growth: both earn a 9.8/10 growth score, meaning students at each campus are making exceptional year-over-year academic progress regardless of starting point. Families prioritizing trajectory over absolute attainment will find both schools equally strong on that dimension.

Burgess-Peterson Elementary School enrolls 568 students compared to Fernbank Elementary School's 768, a difference of 200 students across the same PK–05 grade span. That smaller enrollment pairs with a tighter student-teacher ratio — 13.2:1 at Burgess-Peterson versus 14.8:1 at Fernbank — translating to roughly 1.6 fewer students per classroom on average. Burgess-Peterson also serves a higher share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, 35% versus Fernbank's 25%, reflecting meaningfully different socioeconomic compositions across a short geographic distance.

Both schools cover the identical grade band, PK through 5th grade, so neither has a structural advantage in continuity of enrollment before middle school. The distinctions that remain are size, academic score edge, and demographic mix. Burgess-Peterson's smaller enrollment and lower student-teacher ratio point toward a more intimate instructional environment, while Fernbank's larger population may offer a wider peer network and broader extracurricular depth typical of higher-enrollment campuses.