The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Zest Preparatory Academy School
Zest Preparatory Academy is a kindergarten through fifth-grade charter school in Douglasville, in the suburbs west of Atlanta. It is the sole school in its district and was Georgia's first tuition-free public charter school in Douglas County when it opened in August 2023. The school focused on literacy and leadership across the elementary grades. However, the board has requested that the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia accept termination of its state charter. This closure signals an end to the school's operation, and families currently enrolled will need to locate alternative placements. For any parent considering the school, this pending closure is the decisive fact.
The school serves a very small enrollment, with the majority of students in kindergarten through grade two. On the 2024-25 state assessments, the school's proficiency results are well below what the state expects. In third-grade English language arts, a modest share of students demonstrated proficiency; the fourth-grade proficiency rate was substantially lower in English language arts. In mathematics, the school's results are notably weak across both third and fourth grades, with only a very small share of students meeting proficiency in fourth-grade math. Overall proficiency across tested subjects sits below the midpoint of other districts in Douglas County.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a small share of Hispanic students and very few white or multiracial students. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves families with lower household incomes. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available.
Douglasville itself is a mixed-use suburban city about twenty miles west of Atlanta, known for a historic downtown core with Victorian and Queen Anne architecture preserved on the National Register of Historic Places. That downtown district is the most walkable part of the city and hosts shops, restaurants, and festivals. The surrounding area is conventionally auto-oriented, with commercial strips anchored by Arbor Place Mall and major retailers. The city is on a clear growth trajectory, with a significant increase in new single-family subdivisions and multi-family developments over the past decade. Major employers include WellStar Douglas Hospital, the Douglas County School System, Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon, and the county has emerged as an industrial hub with recent investment in advanced manufacturing and data centers. Civic anchors include Jessie Davis Park, recently renovated with a swimming pool, and nearby parks with hiking trails. Local transit, unusual for a suburb at this distance from Atlanta, includes bus service through Connect Douglas and commuter connections to the city via Xpress and MARTA.
Housing values in the area are modest and have declined slightly over the past year. The median rent is in line with recent housing trends nationally.
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