DeKalb School of the Arts ranked 2nd best high school in Georgia

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta school is now ranked as the second best high school in Georgia.

DeKalb School of the Arts in Avondale Estates is one of 30 metro Atlanta schools in eight districts among the top in the country.

The ranking from U.S. News & World Report magazine just came out this week. DSA senior Nicole Grier takes art and academic classes.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Charges filed against former Gwinnett officers in brutality case
• 'He's a little soldier': 3-year-old boy shot in bounce house recovering
• Prominent attorney accused of killing wife sent back to jail

Grier told Channel 2's Carol Sbarge that she's taking three AP classes as well as gifted and advanced classes.

All 402 students at DSA, a magnet school, have to maintain high grades and focus on several of the arts.

Their hard work is getting big recognition as U.S. News & World Report ranks it the second best high school in the state.

Principal Susan McCauley says the most important thing about a magnet school or school choice program is that a student is in an environment where they can maximize their potential.

The magazine recognized DeKalb School of the Arts for its proficiency in math and language arts and 100% graduation rate.

DeKalb County Schools says the average graduation rate for the county is seventy percent.

DSA students were very excited to learn not only did their school rank second best in Georgia, it  ranked 89th best in the country.

Coleman Hand is a vocal music and drama major. He believes his art classes help him excel in his academic classes.

Hand, a junior, says he took music theory this year and learned a lot of math. He says it also included acoustical science stuff that he was able to apply in his physics class.

Cox Media Group