Cobb County Schools earned an overall A grade and a No. 13 ranking in Georgia in Niche's 2027 Best School Districts list, released Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The ranking, reported by Patch, places the 105,738-student district ahead of several metro Atlanta neighbors. Fulton County Schools landed at No. 15, Gwinnett County Public Schools at No. 17 and Cherokee County Schools at No. 19. All three also received A grades.

Cobb is by far the largest district in Georgia's top 13. Buford City Schools topped the list with an A+ grade. Oconee County Schools (No. 2, A+) and Forsyth County Schools (No. 3, A+) round out the top three.

Niche, a Pittsburgh-based ranking company, draws on U.S. Department of Education data, state test scores, college readiness measures, graduation rates and teacher quality, along with more than 3 million reviews from students, parents and teachers, according to its methodology page. The 2027 edition dropped SAT and ACT scores as ranking factors, citing a broader de-emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions.

Cobb users gave the district an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars across 623 reviews on the platform.

The A grade arrives alongside strong performance data for the district. Cobb posted a record 90.9% graduation rate for the class of 2026, the first time the district topped 90%, according to a district press release Monday, Sept. 28. That rate exceeds the statewide average of 88.5%. Students who spend all four years in Cobb graduate at a 99.2% rate across all high schools, the release said.

East Cobb high schools led the way. Harrison High posted a 98.9% graduation rate, Lassiter 98.5% and Pope 98.4%. Thirteen Cobb high schools cleared 90%, up from 10 the prior year.

"Come to Cobb, stay in Cobb, graduate on time, and be ready for life," Board Chair Randy Scamihorn said in the Sept. 28 announcement.

On SAT scores, the district's class of 2026 averaged 1,116 out of 1,600, matching the 2025 figure and outpacing the Georgia public-school average of 1,031 and the national average of 1,011, according to East Cobb News. Walton High led Cobb at 1,255, followed by Lassiter at 1,204, Wheeler at 1,193 and Pope at 1,182.

Because Niche no longer factors SAT scores into its rankings, the district's A grade rests on state assessments, college readiness, graduation rates and teacher quality rather than the SAT numbers East Cobb families often track.

All 16 traditional Cobb high schools were named 2026 AP Honor Schools, according to the district's Monday, Sept. 28 release.