Brighten Academy

Q: Is Brighten Academy a good school?

Brighten Academy ranks 535 th of 1248 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Brighten Academy is a public charter elementary and middle school located in Douglasville, Georgia, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of 800 students. The school is part of the Douglas County School District, which is ranked 116 out of 203 districts in Georgia and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Brighten Academy consistently outperforms the Douglas County and Georgia state averages in the Milestones Assessment for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Brighten Academy's 6th-grade ELA proficiency rate was 52.2%, compared to 38.2% for Douglas County and 41.6% for Georgia. The school has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, with a high ranking of 287 out of 1,209 Georgia elementary schools in the 2017-2018 school year, placing it in the top quarter of elementary schools in the state. However, its statewide ranking has declined to 535 in the 2023-2024 school year, indicating that the school may not be keeping pace with improvements in other Georgia elementary schools.

Brighten Academy has seen a significant increase in its free and reduced lunch rate, from 31.37% in 2020-2021 to 54.75% in 2022-2023, suggesting the school is serving a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. When compared to the nearby schools in the Douglas County district, Brighten Academy generally outperforms them in academic metrics, such as Milestones Assessment proficiency rates, making it a more desirable option for families in the area. However, the school's higher student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools may be an area of concern for some parents.

Detail:

Public, Charter K-8

5897 Prestley Mill Rd
Douglasville, GA 30135

(770) 615-3680

District: Douglas County

SchoolDigger Rank:
535^th of 1,248 Georgia Elementary Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 17.2

Number of students: 800

Racial breakdown:

African American:

67.4%

White:

15.1%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.8%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Brighten Academy ranks better than 57.1% of elementary schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 52.53. (See more...)

Compare Details Brighten Academy ranks better than 66.5% of middle schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 61.21. (See more...)

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger Rankings:

Brighten Academy was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Brighten Academy 197^th of 588 Georgia public middle schools. (See Brighten Academy in the ranking list.)

Douglas County:

SchoolDigger ranks Douglas County 116^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Brighten Academy.

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Rank History for Brighten Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	GA State Percentile
2008	85.06	105^th	1134	90.7%
2009	75.86	227^th	1133	80.0%
2010	77.29	241^st	1183	79.6%
2011	69.49	406^th	1212	66.5%
2012	81.35	166^th	1201	86.2%
2013	82.19	141^st	1225	88.5%
2014	68.98	418^th	1231	66.0%
2015	71.56	298^th	1240	76.0%
2016	73.54	285^th	1233	76.9%
2017	67.99	337^th	1205	72.0%
2018	73.89	287^th	1209	76.3%
2019	59.58	461^st	1234	62.6%
2021	42.69	647^th	1214	46.7%
2022	58.61	468^th	1244	62.4%
2023	48.75	564^th	1242	54.6%
2024	52.53	535^th	1248	57.1%

See the entire list of Georgia Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Brighten Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	GA State Percentile
2008	79.50	69^th	462	85.1%
2009	75.21	88^th	466	81.1%
2010	77.23	80^th	494	83.8%
2011	74.19	110^th	504	78.2%
2012	78.46	73^rd	508	85.6%
2013	70.96	140^th	527	73.4%
2014	77.86	72^nd	521	86.2%
2015	81.51	87^th	537	83.8%
2016	77.67	99^th	545	81.8%
2017	84.23	69^th	539	87.2%
2018	84.98	67^th	543	87.7%
2019	76.72	113^th	559	79.8%
2021	67.56	159^th	542	70.7%
2022	73.75	130^th	567	77.1%
2023	66.32	162^nd	577	71.9%
2024	61.21	197^th	588	66.5%

See the entire list of Georgia Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2.8)

25%

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Good just get rid of the politics and favoritism give all kids a fair change Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Brighten Academy has gone downhill since the expansion and move to the new building. This past year, top administrators called the school a "business". Those words had never been used before to describe the mission of the school. After the second death threat in my daughters 4th and 5th grades, respectively, we removed her and our younger son to the school we are districted for. After 5 years at the school we had had enough. Test scores are down. Violence is way up. Class sizes are NOT as stated on here, but more along the lines of 24-30 per class and they still keep adding new students every month. It's so sad to see how far this once good school has fallen. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Brighten Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2007	187	66	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	6	265
2008	222	93	6	9	0	n/a	n/a	11	341
2009	257	95	5	9	0	n/a	n/a	14	380
2010	250	84	9	26	0	0	18	0	387
2011	251	115	13	23	0	0	22	0	424
2012	225	131	14	24	0	0	23	0	417
2013	238	170	9	29	0	0	19	0	465
2014	256	195	7	27	1	0	19	0	505
2015	276	283	7	34	1	0	19	0	620
2016	276	349	10	39	0	0	19	0	693
2017	249	411	11	46	0	0	20	0	737
2018	232	451	8	64	0	0	24	0	779
2019	206	488	9	74	0	0	25	0	802
2020	180	509	7	85	2	0	41	0	824
2021	165	525	9	83	2	0	48	0	832
2022	143	531	17	70	2	2	50	0	815
2023	121	539	15	74	2	1	48	0	800

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Brighten Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	265	15.2	17.4	1.2
2008	341	18.5	18.4	4.2
2009	380	22.2	17.1	9.3
2010	387	21.6	17.9	12.7
2011	424	22.2	19.0	21.9
2012	417	22.8	18.2	27.1
2013	465	25.6	18.1	26.7
2014	505	25.5	19.8	29.3
2015	620	34.0	18.2	26.1
2016	693	36.0	19.2	32.6
2017	737	37.1	19.8	34.9
2018	779	40.1	19.4	36.5
2019	802	41.9	19.1	37
2020	824	44.2	18.6	40
2021	832	44.4	18.7	31.4
2022	815	45.2	18.0	n/a
2023	800	46.3	17.2	54.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Brighten Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	265	15.2	17.4	1.2
2008	341	18.5	18.4	4.2
2009	380	22.2	17.1	9.3
2010	387	21.6	17.9	12.7
2011	424	22.2	19.0	21.9
2012	417	22.8	18.2	27.1
2013	465	25.6	18.1	26.7
2014	505	25.5	19.8	29.3
2015	620	34.0	18.2	26.1
2016	693	36.0	19.2	32.6
2017	737	37.1	19.8	34.9
2018	779	40.1	19.4	36.5
2019	802	41.9	19.1	37
2020	824	44.2	18.6	40
2021	832	44.4	18.7	31.4
2022	815	45.2	18.0	n/a
2023	800	46.3	17.2	54.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Brighten Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$273 (4.4%)	$6,240 (100.0%)	$6,240
2018	$258 (4.0%)	$6,394 (100.0%)	$6,394
2019	$284 (4.1%)	$6,934 (100.0%)	$6,934

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Brighten Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 461^st of 1234 Elementary schools	Ranks 564^th of 1242 Elementary schools	8.1%
Ranks 113^th of 559 Middle schools	Ranks 162^nd of 577 Middle schools	7.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	38.5	29.8	8.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	40.7	34.4	6.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	38.6	3.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	40.6	35.1	5.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	48.6	37.7	10.9%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	52	45.6	6.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	52	37.4	14.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	44.1	32.5	11.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	36.1	5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	56.6	50.5	6.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	42.2	33.5	8.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	49	45.7	3.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	49	48.1	0.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	46.6	36.8	9.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	45	41.6	3.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	57.8	26	31.8%
5th Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	36.8	26.4	10.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	41	37.4	3.6%
5th Grade Science (Brighten Academy)	41.2	31.7	9.5%
5th Grade Science (Douglas County)	39.6	33.2	6.4%
5th Grade Science (Georgia)	43	40	3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	54.4	42.2	12.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	50.5	37.7	12.8%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	46	39.2	6.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	35.6	23.3	12.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	38.5	22.2	16.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	40	32.9	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	48.3	46.7	1.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	38.8	37.6	1.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	39	39.1	0.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	52.9	40	12.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	40.5	25.2	15.3%
7th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	43	34.9	8.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Brighten Academy)	72.7	65.9	6.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County)	49.3	44.3	5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	47	42.1	4.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Brighten Academy)	67.4	41.5	25.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Douglas County)	30.6	27	3.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	35	36.2	1.2%
8th Grade Science (Brighten Academy)	54.5	36.6	17.9%
8th Grade Science (Douglas County)	36.2	32.8	3.4%
8th Grade Science (Georgia)	32	26.4	5.6%
8th Grade Social Studies (Brighten Academy)	58.2	36.6	21.6%
8th Grade Social Studies (Douglas County)	33.8	31.9	1.9%
8th Grade Social Studies (Georgia)	41	35.9	5.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	802	800	0.2%
African American	488	539	10.5%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	9	15	66.7%
Hispanic	74	74
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	206	121	41.3%
Two or More Races	25	48	92%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	37%	54.8%	17.7%

Schools Near Brighten Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)						Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)						Milestones Assessment Science (2024)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Brighten Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5897 Prestley Mill Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	Yes	No	No	No	(770) 615-3680	800	46	17.2	54.8%	121 (15.1%)	539 (67.4%)	74 (9.3%)	15 (1.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (6.0%)	52.5	535^th of 1248 public elementary schools	57.1%		48.7	564^th of 1242 public elementary schools	54.6%	29	37.9	37.4	48.5	52.2	50.0	48.8	48.9	51.5	33.0	23.3	40.0	47.7	31.1	43.5	18.8	$6,935	$284	$6,935
Eastside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8266 Connally Dr	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3800	455	33	14.0	81.5%	36 (7.9%)	260 (57.1%)	118 (25.9%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	32 (7.0%)	16.7	1071^st of 1248 public elementary schools	14.2%		22.1	973^rd of 1242 public elementary schools	21.7%	98	19.0	18.6	28.4				11.4	12.8	24.7				24.7			$10,745	$1,227	$9,518
Burnett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8277 Connally Dr	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3500	435	28	15.8	93.6%	21 (4.8%)	297 (68.3%)	70 (16.1%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.3%)	13.7	1122^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	10.1%		17.9	1051^st of 1242 public elementary schools	15.4%	71	25.0	19.4	17.8				25.0	17.7	13.7				6.8			$11,123	$1,367	$9,756
Zest Preparatory Academy School	Public, Charter	K-5	3130 Golf Ridge Blv	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	State Specialty Schools II- Zest Preparatory Academy School	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(770) 462-9051	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	25.9						26.9
Arbor Station Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9999 Parkway S	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-3000	559	38	14.8	66.2%	78 (14.0%)	311 (55.6%)	118 (21.1%)	10 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.3%)	40.7	687^th of 1248 public elementary schools	45.0%		40.3	681^st of 1242 public elementary schools	45.2%	6	31.0	21.1	43.7				39.0	32.2	41.4				40.2			$8,449	$388	$8,062
Mount Carmel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2356 Fairburn Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-4200	419	29	14.4	73.3%	32 (7.6%)	253 (60.4%)	91 (21.7%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (8.4%)	36.9	742^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	40.5%		29.4	846^th of 1242 public elementary schools	31.9%	104	33.3	20.7	47.6				31.9	30.5	27.4				40.5			$10,046	$460	$9,586
Beulah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 S Burnt Hickory Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3300	453	36	12.5	75.1%	77 (17.0%)	140 (30.9%)	199 (43.9%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	27 (6.0%)	33.4	794^th of 1248 public elementary schools	36.4%		32.9	797^th of 1242 public elementary schools	35.8%	3	33.3	27.7	33.3				28.9	46.2	33.3				15.9			$11,298	$1,190	$10,108
Bright Star Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6300 John West Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3400	426	33	12.8	73.0%	44 (10.3%)	282 (66.2%)	69 (16.2%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.2%)	41.3	675^th of 1248 public elementary schools	45.9%		38.8	706^th of 1242 public elementary schools	43.2%	31	36.6	30.7	41.8				40.8	45.3	34.1				23.1			$10,870	$1,196	$9,674
North Douglas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1630 Dorris Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-4800	506	41	12.4	85.6%	29 (5.7%)	337 (66.6%)	105 (20.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.5%)	29.7	861^st of 1248 public elementary schools	31.0%		20.7	995^th of 1242 public elementary schools	19.9%	134	26.1	28.1	29.5				34.8	35.6	27.4				26.3			$10,717	$1,324	$9,393
Chapel Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4433 Coursey Lake Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-3600	649	46	14.1	58.2%	79 (12.2%)	412 (63.5%)	94 (14.5%)	20 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.3%)	35.8	760^th of 1248 public elementary schools	39.1%		47.7	578^th of 1242 public elementary schools	53.5%	182	31.1	25.0	44.5				18.9	33.9	31.4				40.7			$9,663	$284	$9,379

Frequently Asked Questions about Brighten Academy

What is the racial makeup of Brighten Academy?

Students at Brighten Academy are 67% African American, 15% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Brighten Academy in?

Douglas County

How many students attend Brighten Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 800 students attended Brighten Academy.

Is Brighten Academy a good school?

Brighten Academy ranks 535^th of 1248 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.