Public schools in Sandy Springs, Buckhead and Brookhaven tracked the triumphs and tribulations of schools across the state in achieving adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

All of the local elementary and middle schools made AYP, but three of the five public high schools did not. Statewide, 89.8 percent of elementary schools and 75.3 percent of middle schools made AYP, but only 47 percent of high schools did so, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

AYP is calculated using the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and attendance rates in elementary and middle schools and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests given to 11th-graders and graduation rates for high schools. The figures are calculated for racial groups, students with disabilities, those with limited English proficiency and those living in poverty. If even one of those groups with at least 40 students falls short, the school fails to make AYP.

Schools that fail to make AYP in two or more consecutive years are labeled “needs improvement” and are subject to sanctions, including providing outside tutoring services and allowing students to change schools.

In Sandy Springs, Dunwoody Springs Charter Elementary, Heards Ferry Elementary, Spalding Drive Charter Elementary, Woodland Elementary Charter and Riverwood International Charter schools repeated last year’s success and made AYP. First-year school Lake Forest Elementary also made AYP.

Ridgeview Charter School was removed from the “needs improvement” category after making AYP for the second year in a row.

High Point Elementary, which missed AYP in 2008 based on the performance of students with disabilities, made AYP this year.

Also making AYP after missing in 2008 was Sandy Springs Middle School. The group learning English was the problem last year.

The only Sandy Springs school that missed AYP was North Springs Charter High School, which made it last year. Black and poor students didn’t meet the math standard.

Overall, 82 of 94 Fulton schools made AYP.

In Atlanta Public Schools, 77 of 100 schools made AYP, including Buckhead’s Morris Brandon, Garden Hills, Warren T. Jackson, E. Rivers and Sarah Smith elementary schools and Sutton Middle School.

North Atlanta High carries the “needs improvement” tag for the second consecutive year. The overall student body and economically disadvantaged students fell short on the graduation tests, but black students, who as a group missed AYP in 2008, made it this year.

In DeKalb County, 68.9 percent of schools made AYP, up from 53.6 percent a year ago, including Brookhaven’s Ashford Park, Kittredge Magnet, Montclair, Montgomery and Woodward elementary schools and both middle schools serving Brookhaven students, Sequoyah and Chamblee.

Chamblee High, which serves Brookhaven, made AYP for the sixth year in a row, but Cross Keys High, with high numbers of students who are poor and/or aren’t native English speakers, was among the 70 percent of DeKalb high schools that missed. For the fourth year, Cross Keys carries the “needs improvement” label.