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Augusta Colleges and Universities

ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION IN THE MSA

The availability of a high quality of education provides a significant contribution to the quality of life and commerce in any area. A community’s public and private schools shape the area’s graduates, stressing the traditional areas of study while incorporating the practical skills required by many of today’s employers.

COUNTY MAINTAINED SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Each county in the state of Georgia and South Carolina maintains its own school district. The school districts in Georgia and South Carolina are administered by Superintendents, who are appointed by the Board of Education.

The state of Georgia funds the K-12 programs primarily through property taxes and supplemented by money collected from the Georgia Lottery. The state of South Carolina funds its education primarily through property taxes. Programs in both states are available to assist both gifted and disadvantaged students in the public school system. Among these programs are "Tech Prep", "gifted" and "magnet". Tech Prep, a nationally recognized term, prepares high school students for the workplace through a combination of academic and technical training. The gifted and magnet programs are designed to challenge and stimulate educationally advanced students by allowing them to accelerate their learning. The magnet program in the state of Georgia provides students with intensive courses of study in pre-selected areas, enabling them to better define career options.

Richmond public middle and high schools led the Georgia Public Policy Foundation in 2002 rankings, placing first, while the Columbia and Richmond county elementary schools ranked slightly lower. Schools are ranked according to average math and reading results on last year’s state.