2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data. (Visit us at our new home here → https://www.eddatacenter.org!)
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
Yesterday, August 6, Georgia released the 2026 End-of-Grade math results for students in grades 3-8. Georgia has administered the EOG math assessments since 2015.
Note that 2026 ELA results will not be published until November. GaDOE approved new ELA Standards in May 2023, and is conducting standard setting this fall to align the EOG ELA assessment with these standards. Our overview here therefore focuses on the state’s math results over time.
In Georgia, 2026 proficiency rates for students taking the grade 3-8 EOG assessment show steady post-pandemic gains in math, rising from 36% proficiency in 2021 to 45.3% in 2026. This is the first year that the state’s math proficiency has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and the state’s highest level of math proficiency since the first administration of the assessment in 2015. Results are reported across four achievement levels - Beginning Learners, Developing Learners, Proficient Learners, and Distinguished Learners - with students scoring Proficient or Distinguished (Levels 3 and 4) considered proficient.
Math: Approximately 45.3% of students reached proficiency on the grade 3-8 assessments in 2026, up from 43.4% in 2025. Proficiency improved in every grade level except Grade 8, with Grade 3 showing the greatest gains from last year (approximately 4 percentage points).
The Georgia Department of Education credits a host of contributing factors for these gains, including:
Strengthening teacher professional learning grounded in the science of learning
Implementation of literacy and mathematics legislation
Building teacher and leader capacity through a variety of conferences, RESA partnerships, webinars, and statewide leadership networks
Development of instructional guidance and resources aligned to Georgia’s new content standards
Targeted district and school support from GaDOE related to technical assistance, coaching, and collaborative planning for school districts
Please note that math results do not yet include student subgroups. Therefore, we present results here overall, and cannot yet disaggregate by demographic information.
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name: Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment. Note that in 2024, Georgia administered an updated math assessment but reported that the cut score for the number/percent of students achieving “proficient or above” is comparable to prior years. (The difference is that the state moved the cut score between Levels 3 and 4).
Additional Information:
General information about the Georgia Milestones assessments can be found here: https://gadoe.org/assessment-accountability/georgia-milestones/
End-of-Grade data can be found here: https://inspire.gadoe.org/collection/C00001/9036
The GaDOE 2026 press release can be found here: https://gadoe.org/press-releases/georgia-milestones-scores-continue-to-show-improvement-with-some-all-time-highs-in-math/
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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