State of the Georgia Girl Report

Full of Potential. Poised to Rise.

At Girl Scouts, we sit in a rare position to see the whole picture: the in-person life at school and the online persona; the moments of celebration and the moments of grief; the courage in trying something new and fear of failure. That view, and our bold commitment to ensure every girl in Georgia can reach her full potential, led us to commission the State of the Georgia Girl Report. Our aim in these pages is not diagnosis but investment. We present the state of girls’ wellbeing across physical health, academic success, digital presence, emotional wellness, and social connection so that leaders across Georgia - educators, policymakers, philanthropists, faith communities, employers, and every adult who cares about a girl in her life - have the data and the direction to act. Girls need adult champions. Girls need investments in their future. Girls need advocates in academia and policy-making. Girls need safe spaces to become the leaders our state is counting on tomorrow.

For more than a century, Girl Scouts has created the space for girls to become leaders - in every community, within every industry, at every level of influence. Across Georgia, our alums shape classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and the community organizations that hold our state together. The girls we serve today are no less determined to make their mark. In fact, many of them already are. Still, the girls of this generation reach for their potential against a set of circumstances no prior generation has faced. In the pages that follow, you will read that more than half of high school girls in Georgia report symptoms of depression; two in three do not have a caring adult to talk with about their feelings; half of parents cannot access the mental health care their daughters need. You will also read that Georgia girls now graduate high school at a rate of nearly 90% - five points higher than their male peers - and that girls are more likely to enroll in college within sixteen months of graduation compared to young men. Both truths are real. Girls in Georgia are simultaneously excelling and struggling, and doing both under the weight of academic pressure, mental health strain, and the urge to maintain an in-person and online persona unrealized by prior generations.

Girls need you.

Krystal Crawford Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Jai Ferrell Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

This report was made possible through the generous support of our partner:

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