McIntosh High School has been

ranked the number one public secondary school in metro Atlanta and number

two in the state, according to the 2000 Georgia Report Card for Parents.

Braelinn Elementary School

ranked eighth in the state and eighth among metro Atlanta's 421 elementary

schools, and Rising Starr was placed ninth statewide and ninth among the

metro's 120 middle schools. All Fayette County schools were near the top

of the lists released Thursday by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

Ranking were determined in

the middle and elementary schools by reading and math scores obtained

arts scores on the Georgia High School Graduation Test were used as the

primary measure of student achievement for high schools.

Graduation rates provided supplemental

criteria. Scores from last year and this year are included in the report.

"Since the new accountability

system passed by the Georgia legislature this year will grade schools

both on their absolute test scores as well as their improvement, we wanted

to give parents a good indicator for both criteria," said foundation

President Rogers Wade.

Three Fayette County high schools

were ranked in the top 20 schools in the state. McIntosh was second in

the state, coming in after Davidson Magnet School in Richmond County (Augusta);

Starr's Mill was ranked 14th and Fayette County High was ranked 19th;

Sandy Creek was ranked 30th in the state.

Their rankings in the metro

Atlanta area were McIntosh first, Starr's Mill 12th, Fayette County 16th.

Among middle schools, Rising

Starr was ninth statewide and eighth in the metro area, followed by Booth,

22nd in the state and 17th in the metro area; Fayette Middle is 37th in

the state and 25th in the metro area; Whitewater is 48th in the state

and 31st in the metro area; and Flat Rock is 71st in the state and 44th

in the metro area.

Braelinn Elementary was ranked

eighth in the state and metro area among elementary schools, followed

closely by Kedron, 11th in state and metro rankings. Huddleston came in

48th in the state and 42nd in the metro area, Peeples 79th in the state

and 65th in metro, Spring Hill 99th in the state rankings and 80th in

the metro, Oak Grove 109th state and 86th metro, Tyrone 120th state and

89th metro, Burch 125th state and 92nd metro, Fayetteville, 140th state

and 99th metro; Brooks 141st state and 11th metro; Peachtree City 170th

state and 117th metro; East Fayette 25th state and 136th metro, and North

Fayette 293rd state and 157th metro.