Two north Fulton County elementary schools landed in Georgia's top 10 in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings for best public schools.

Lake Windward Elementary in Alpharetta placed ninth and Wilson Creek Elementary in Johns Creek placed 10th, according to SaportaReport, which first reported the results. U.S. News released the rankings Tuesday, Oct. 20, evaluating public schools statewide on math and reading performance while accounting for students' socioeconomic backgrounds.

Both schools are part of Fulton County Schools. Lake Windward, at 11770 East Fox Court in Alpharetta, enrolled 681 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to Georgia Department of Education data reported by North Fulton Today. Wilson Creek, at 6115 Wilson Road in Johns Creek, enrolled 864 students that year and feeds into either River Trail Middle School or Autrey Mill Middle School, according to its school profile.

Metro Atlanta schools dominated the statewide elementary list, claiming eight of the top 10 spots. Kittredge Magnet School in DeKalb County held the No. 1 position, followed by Britt David Elementary Computer Magnet Academy in Columbus and Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers in DeKalb County.

Fulton County schools also appeared in the middle school rankings. Webb Bridge Middle in Alpharetta ranked 10th, while River Trail Middle ranked fourth. Autrey Mill Middle in Alpharetta placed 16th and Taylor Road Middle in Alpharetta placed 18th, according to Patch.

The rankings use four equally weighted measures. Math and reading proficiency each account for 25% of a school's score, while the remaining 50% evaluates how students perform relative to expectations based on their socioeconomic backgrounds. Schools score higher when actual test results exceed predicted performance.

For 2027, U.S. News refined its methodology to distinguish between students who meet minimum proficiency standards and those who exceed them. The rankings rely primarily on 2023-24 assessment results.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News' director of education data analysis, cautioned families against treating the rankings as a definitive measure of school quality.

"The rankings and data are intended to be a starting point, and not the final word for parents when considering educational opportunities for their children," Brooks said.

Brooks added that standardized assessments cannot capture school culture, safety, extracurricular opportunities or individual student growth.