THE 2026 STATE OF THE GEORGIA GIRL REPORT

Full of Potential. Poised to Rise.

Georgia girls are the most academically ambitious, most college-bound, most goal-focused generation on record. They are also the loneliest.

Read the full report Watch the briefing

A smiling Girl Scout with curly hair in an orange sweatshirt sits by a sunny window

A STATEWIDE PARTNERSHIP

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, serving the State of Georgia.

THE CENTRAL FINDING

Girls and boys have largely different experiences growing up in Georgia.

The girls of this generation reach for their potential against a set of circumstances no prior generation has faced. This report illuminates that reality. Research proves it: girls need you.

PART 1 | THE STRENGTH

Georgia girls are the most academically ambitious, most college-bound, most goal-focused generation on record...

+9% more girls achieving 8th grade math proficiency in 2025 vs 2015.
90% of girls in the Class of 2025 graduated in 4 years vs 83% in 2015.
15% fewer women than men select STEM as their first major in college.

ACADEMIC WELLNESS

A decade of out-performance.

Beneath the strain is a generation that has spent a decade quietly outpacing every expectation set for it. Georgia girls graduate high school at nearly 90% - five points higher than boys and up almost seven points in a decade.

Girls outperform boys in English Language Arts at every grade level, close the math achievement gap by 8th grade, and outnumber boys in AP, Honors, and Dual Enrollment courses. 12% more girls enroll in college after graduation than their male peers.

DIGITAL WELLNESS

Her online community.

A full picture of digital wellness requires naming what girls gain from a digital life. While risks like cyberbullying threaten these spaces, girls use digital channels to deliver what proximity cannot.

71% of teen girls of color encounter identity-affirming content on social. 41% of girls find AI to be more helpful with homework than their parents. Digital tools deliver educational content, career exposure, and civic participation at a scale unavailable to any prior generation.

A Girl Scout in a teal vest looks into a microscope — **63%**of teen Girl Scouts who do a STEM event want to have a STEM career, compared to just 9% of non-Girl Scouts.

PART 2 | THE STRAIN

They are also the loneliest.

35% of teen girls report intense anxiety - nearly twice the rate of boys.
1 in 5 middle- and high-school girls seriously considered self-harm.
50% of parents report difficulty accessing mental health care for their daughter.

EMOTIONAL WELLNESS

Quiet distress.

Georgia girls report chronic stress and mental distress that the systems around them are not built to hold. More than half of teenage girls report depression symptoms in a given month. One in five has seriously considered self-harm in the past year. Twice as many girls as boys report always feeling stressed.

When she looks for help, she often cannot find it: half of parents can’t access the mental health care their daughter needs, and one in five say it’s very difficult or impossible.

SOCIAL WELLNESS

While 41% of teen girls say they are online “almost constantly,” 33% admit they’re also lonely. Nearly half do not feel close to people at school. At home, families are also stretched: 44% of Georgia families cannot afford basic needs, placing the state 43rd for financial hardship.

2 out of 3 girls lack a caring adult to talk with about their feelings. The support layer she needs is overextended or unavailable - and likely, she does not ask for help.

3 out of 5 middle and high school girls report experiencing signs of depression, leading to 1 in 10 seriously considering suicide.

3 out of 5 middle and high school girls report experiencing signs of depression, leading to 1 in 10 seriously considering suicide.
Measure	Female	Male
Symptoms of depression	58%	39%
Seriously considered self-harm	18%	12%
Seriously considered suicide	11%	7%
Attempted suicide	5%	4%

Source: Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Student Health Survey – Middle and High School, 2023–2024.

SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE

If a girl you love is struggling, help is here right now.

Free, confidential support is available 24/7 for girls, parents, and caregivers.

Call or text 988988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Text HOME to 741741Crisis Text Line

In an emergency, call 911.

WATCH THE BRIEFING

2026 State of the Georgia Girl Report Briefing

Jenn Hollern, author of the 2026 State of the Georgia Girl Report, walks through what the data shows about Georgia girls across five dimensions of wellness.

Video · 7:50

PART 3 | THE CALL TO ACTION

What Georgia Girls Need Next

One clear truth: Georgia girls need adult champions.

In every corner of our state - in academia and policy making, in classrooms and community organizations, at home and next door - girls need adults to step up, speak up, and show up so that they can reach her full potential. This is what the data shows us about where we can start:

DEMOGRAPHICS
Collect Girl Data.
Prioritize and expand data collection from adolescent youth - especially on emerging issues - published publicly.
PHYSICAL
Value Her Body.
Protect movement, guard against disordered eating, and invest in peer spaces where girlhood is understood.
DIGITAL
Engage, Don’t Avoid.
Become literate in the platforms of digital life. Practice critical media consumption alongside girls.
EMOTIONAL
Show Up.
The most protective intervention for girls documented by research is the presence of caring adults. Be present.
ACADEMIC
Close the STEM Gap.
Introduce STEM early, protect group experiences with peers and mentors, and expose girls to STEM variety.
SOCIAL
Her People, Her Place.
Every girl needs a consistent peer group and a place outside of home to try, fail, and try again. Find her people.

REVIEW PANEL

Our Esteemed Review Panel

The State of the Georgia Girl Report was deeply enriched by the dedicated time and attention of a diverse community of experts across the state. Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia extend sincere appreciation to this review panel for its thoughtful and thorough feedback, which elevated the level of discourse presented in this report.

REPORT AUTHOR

Jenn Hollern

Owner, FORGE 4082 Consulting

Jenn Hollern is the author of the 2026 State of the Georgia Girl Report and the owner of FORGE 4082 Consulting. She has worked professionally in Girl Scouting for more than a decade and is based in Orlando, Florida.

Watch her briefing

Rachel Alterman Wallack, MSW
Youth Voice Matters
David L. Barnett, Ph.D.
Brenau University
Jasmine Barton
America’s Promise Alliance
Judy Fitzgerald
Voices for Georgia’s Children
Alex Camardelle-Floyd, Ph.D.
Kindred Futures & Georgia State University
Marsha R. Hopkins, Ph.D.
Hopkins Associates
Dr. Paul Kirchgraber, MD, MBA
Former CEO, Labcorp Drug Development
Amanda Lawrence, MBA
HCA Healthcare, South Atlantic Division
Tanzy Kilcrease, Ed.D.
Educator, Administrator, Girl Scout Volunteer, Chair of the Regional Advisory Board

Georgia Girls Need You.

Learn.
Discover more about the power of Girl Scouts.
Join.
Girls need caring adult mentors to prepare them for life.
Fund.
Connect with your local council to fund a girl’s future.

Full of Potential. Poised to Rise.

Girls and boys have largely different experiences growing up in Georgia.