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Georgia girls’ strong graduation rates mask widespread loneliness, report says
A new statewide report finds that two in three Georgia high school girls lack a caring adult to discuss their feelings with, despite strong graduation and college-enrollment rates. Experts and community leaders say supportive relationships and better data are key to addressing girls’ mental health needs.
Two in three Georgia high school girls say they do not have a caring adult to talk with about their feelings, even as girls graduate at higher rates than boys, according to a statewide report released Oct. 9 in Atlanta.
The 2026 State of the Georgia Girl Report was commissioned by Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. It examines girls’ physical, emotional, academic, social and digital well-being to inform families, educators and policymakers.
Among the report’s findings, 90% of Georgia girls in the class of 2025 graduated within four years, five percentage points above the rate for boys. Fifty-nine percent of those female graduates enrolled in a college program within 16 months.
But the report also points to significant mental health challenges. Data from the Georgia Department of Education’s 2023-24 Georgia Student Health Survey show that 58% of girls in middle and high school had symptoms of depression in the previous 30 days, compared with 39% of boys. Half of elementary-school girls said they felt left out by peers.
“Georgia girls are the most ambitious, they are the most high achieving, but they are lonely,” said Jai Ferrell, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. Ferrell said the findings reinforced the need to help girls build community and meaningful relationships.
Jenn Hollern, the report’s author and owner of FORGE 4082 Consulting, said loneliness can start in childhood and persist into adolescence. The answer, she said, is not necessarily more programming or screen time, but creating welcoming spaces where girls support one another.
The report found that 89% of Georgia Girl Scouts feel welcomed in the organization, and the same share said their troop leader cares about them as a person.
At a panel accompanying the report’s release, East Lake Foundation President and CEO Ilham Askia spoke about the importance of adults outside a young person’s immediate family. State Sen. Elena Parent, who represents District 44, called for stronger data collection to guide policy decisions.
Dr. Reneathia P. Baker, an associate medical director at Kaiser Permanente, said the report’s breakdowns by race and income help show disparities that statewide averages can hide. Three in five girls in Georgia are girls of color, according to the report; Black girls account for 31% of the state’s female youth population, more than twice their share nationally.
Jenay Sermon, owner of Learn Ubique LLC, said data should be accessible to people who work directly with young people, while also prompting questions about who collects it and why.
Ameya Agnihotri, a Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta alumna and Augusta University student, said girls should be able to keep achieving without compromising their mental health.
Ferrell described the findings as a starting point for strengthening relationships and community support. “Our Georgia girls need us,” she said. “They need adults. They need champions, and they need big sisters.”