Park Street Elementary School vs A.L. Burruss Elementary School

A.L. Burruss Elementary School holds a 0.7-point overall rating advantage over Park Street Elementary School — 9.5 out of 10 versus 8.8 out of 10 — but the state rank gap tells the sharper story. A.L. Burruss ranks #10 of 2268 Georgia elementary schools, placing it in the top 0.5% statewide, while Park Street ranks #100 of 2268, itself a strong result that still trails its neighbor by 90 positions. Both schools sit 2.6 miles apart in Marietta, serve identical grade bands of PK through 5th grade, and fall within the same district, making the differences between them especially meaningful for families zoned near the boundary.

Academically, A.L. Burruss Elementary School scores 8.7 out of 10 versus Park Street Elementary School's 7.1 — a gap of 1.6 points reflecting meaningfully higher tested proficiency. Growth scores, which measure how much students improve regardless of where they start, are strong at both campuses: Park Street posts a 9.5 out of 10, while A.L. Burruss reaches 9.9. That near-perfect growth score at A.L. Burruss is notable — it indicates students are outpacing academic growth expectations even from an already high baseline. Park Street's 9.5 growth score is itself elite, suggesting the school is doing exceptional developmental work with its population.

The demographic and equity profiles of these two schools diverge substantially. Park Street Elementary School enrolls 454 students with 96% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch — one of the highest FRL rates among high-performing schools anywhere in the state. A.L. Burruss Elementary School serves 388 students with a 55% FRL rate. Park Street's student-teacher ratio of 8.1 to 1 is considerably more favorable than A.L. Burruss's 10.2 to 1, meaning Park Street students receive, on average, more individual teacher attention despite serving a higher-need population.

The combination of Park Street Elementary School's 8.1:1 student-teacher ratio and 9.5/10 growth score in a 96% FRL school signals an unusually high level of instructional effectiveness concentrated on an economically disadvantaged student body. A.L. Burruss Elementary School's #10 state rank and 8.7 academic score reflect a school where students are arriving with stronger academic preparation and continuing to accelerate, producing outcomes that rank among the best in Georgia.