A dozen DCSS schools are out performing their peers and overcoming obstacles that statistics suggest should be holding them back, according to a list released by the Georgia Department of Education on Tuesday. 

Tuesday, the state released a list of schools whom they say are "Beating the Odds" when it comes to educating children facing socio-economic challenges like poverty. 

Albany Middle School, Alice Coachman Elementary School, International Studies Elementary Charter School, Lake Park Elementary, Lincoln Elementary Magnet School, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Merry Acres Middle School, Monroe High School, Morningside Elementary School, Radium Springs Elementary School, Radium Springs Middle School and Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School each outperformed schools with similar student populations and socio-economic hurdles on the state's College and Career Readiness Performance Index or CCRPI. 

The CCRPI is Georgia’s statewide accountability system. It measures schools and school districts on a 100-point scale based on multiple indicators of performance. 

The Beating the Odds analysis predicts a range within which a school’s CCRPI score is statistically expected to fall – given the school’s size, grade cluster, student mobility, and student demographics (including race/ethnicity, disability, English learners, and poverty). If an individual school’s actual CCRPI is above the predicted range, then that school beat the odds.

“We view these schools as major success stories,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “In fact, it’s difficult to fully express the magnitude of what they’ve achieved. Statistically, a high rate of poverty presents multiple barriers to achievement, but these schools are beating the odds and doing excellent work on behalf of Georgia students.”