Georgia girls excel academically but face mental health challenges, report finds

A recent report shows that Georgia girls are excelling in the classroom, but many are struggling with mental health issues and feelings of isolation.

The State of the Georgia Girl report was developed by Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, and it examines challenges that impact girls’ safety, social connection and mental health.

Jai Ferrell, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, said the report sheds light on the challenges facing girls in Georgia.

“What we needed to do was to get down into the academia and the real reason that our girls are in trouble. Some of it is a self-esteem, some of it is access to resources,” Ferrell said.

The report found that 90% of girls graduated from high school last year outperforming their boy counterparts by 5 percentage points.

However, 58% of middle and high school girls reported symptoms of depression.

“Our girls are smart, but our girls are lonely,” Ferrell said. “We have opportunities for girls to connect. We have places for girls to just be themselves.”

Two-thirds of high school girls said they lacked a caring adult to talk with about their feelings, and nearly 1 in 5 middle and high school girls reported having serious thoughts about harming themselves.