The Supreme Court of the United States (1954), integrated public schools after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case ruled that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional. More than five decades later, Black students still lag behind White students on standardized tests. In an effort to address the persistent achievement gap in Georgia public schools, this study evaluated the extent to which the achievement gap between Black and White students existed in a Georgia public school system. This study also expanded upon earlier research that analyzed the achievement gap between Black and White students.

In the state of Georgia, Black students have continued to score lower on all parts of the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) when compared to White students. This trend was seen across all socioeconomic levels of Black students in Georgia. This study examined the Black-White achievement gap based on school status, either Title I or non-Title I. Scores on the GHSGT in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) were examined for four years (2006–2009). Additionally, this study looked at the gap in the graduation rate based on school status, Title I or non-Title I for four years (2006–2009). All of the information for this study was publicly accessible on the Georgia Department of Education Web site.

The results of this study indicated that the Black-White achievement gaps with regard to ELA passing rates, mathematics passing rates, and graduation rates of non-Title I schools were not statistically significantly different from the achievement gaps in Title I schools. This study also indicated that the Black-White ELA achievement gap statistically significantly increased over time (2006 to 2009). With regard to mathematics, the Black-White mathematics achievement gap changed over time. However, no stable increasing or decreasing trend line was detected. Finally, in the state of Georgia the Black-White graduation rate achievement gap statistically significantly decreased over time (2006 to 2009).