Atlanta's Public & Private Schools

By Jennifer Maciejewski

For many families, the most difficult question they face when they move to a new area is: Where should we send our children to school? Those relocating to metro Atlanta quickly discover that there’s no easy answer. After all, with so many public and private schools to choose from, narrowing the list often proves challenging.

Georgia’s schools remain among the fastest-improving in the nation, and they show no sign of changing course. The state’s rigorous new curriculum is aligned with national standards and expectations, which will boost student performance on standardized tests. Innovative programs, including graduation coaches and the Georgia Virtual School, have contributed to the state’s marked improvement in its graduation rate over the past five years. In 2008, 74.4 percent of students graduated on time, up from 63.3 percent in 2003.

While scores matter when you’re evaluating a school district or a particular school, don’t settle for the headlines. Go to the source and take a look at the numbers for yourself; the details in the data often tell an entirely different story.

For instance, Georgia continues to rank in the bottom five states in the nation in terms of SAT scores. However, more students take the SAT in Georgia than in other states—69 percent vs. 48 percent, respectively—and 15 school systems, which represent more than a third of test takers in the state, beat the national average of 1511 in 2007 seven of which are in metro Atlanta: Cobb County, Decatur City, Fulton County, Cherokee County, Forsyth County, Gwinnett County and Marietta City.

Likewise, some parents may worry about sending their children to a school that failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP, as part of No Child Left Behind. But schools can be labeled as “Needs Improvement” for reasons that have little to do with their overall academic performance. For instance, one indicator, such as the performance of one student group in one subject, can cause the entire school to not make AYP, which was the case for 38 percent of Georgia’s schools that fell into that category in 2008.

“There is a lot of information available to parents these days, most of it a click away on the Internet,” says Kathy Cox, state superintendent of schools. You’ll find links to a number of performance indicators online at the Georgia Department of Education, doe.k12.ga.us, and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, gaosa.org.

“It’s important for parents to know how a school’s students are performing on tests and if the school’s teachers are highly qualified,” Cox continues. “But everyone knows that schools are more than test scores. Talk to neighbors about local schools and contact members of Parent-Teacher Organizations. And most importantly, go visit the school you are considering sending your child to.”

Thanks to the area’s wide array of school choice options, families relocating to Atlanta should budget time to tour more than one school before making a decision. Here’s a look at some of the many education opportunities available in the metro area.

Public Schools
Unlike some states, Georgia’s public school students aren’t limited to the elementary, middle and high schools assigned to their home’s school zone. While many choose to attend their designated schools, others opt to take advantage of the varied programs offered through public magnet and charter schools.

Magnet
Originally established to end racial segregation in “good” schools, magnet schools draw a diverse group of students from around the school district, especially those who are naturally gifted or interested in the magnet school’s focus area.

Metro Atlanta offers a wide range of magnet school programs. For instance, in Sandy Springs, North Springs High School’s dual magnet program draws a mix of Fulton County’s students. Like all of Georgia’s public schools, North Springs offers liberal arts classes as part of its general degree program. But its math and science and visual and performing arts programs give students a chance to gain a deeper appreciation for their chosen specialty area. The students go beyond the four walls of the core curriculum, exploring math, science and the arts through collaborative learning activities, internships and community involvement.

Likewise, at Pebblebook High School in Mableton, the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts provides students with the opportunity to major or even double major in voice, dance or drama and work with top professionals in the arts while they earn their high school diploma.

Charter
While magnet schools focus on a particular subject area, Georgia’s charter schools provide an alternative to traditional instructional methods. Since they operate without some of the rules and regulations that apply to other public schools, charter schools have the flexibility to create unique learning environments that experiment with creative teaching methods and alternative approaches to classroom management.

Some charter schools provide a single-gender learning environment, which research suggests boosts academic achievement. In Gwinnett County, Ivy Prep Academy welcomed its first all-girls group of sixth graders in 2008, and the school plans to add a grade each year through 12th grade. Like Ivy Prep, The Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the all-boys B.E.S.T. Academy at Ben Carson, both of which opened in August 2007, will add a grade a year, making single-gender middle and high school learning environments a reality for Atlanta Public School’s students.

Other charter schools emphasize alternative approaches to traditional instruction. For instance, students at Cobb County’s Campbell High School in Smyrna participate in an International Baccalaureate program, ensuring that they’ll be bilingual by graduation. DeKalb County’s International Community School features the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, and its kindergarten through sixth-grade students come from more than 35 countries.

The Hapeville Charter Career Academy in Fulton County, slated to welcome its first ninth-grade class in 2009, will partner with Atlanta Technical College to offer students dual enrollment options. At a minimum, students will graduate with a high school diploma and a certificate from the Avionics, Front-End Alignment, Paralegal, Dental Assistance or Patient Care programs. Those inclined can walk across the stage to accept both a high school diploma and a two-year college degree.

Head to the Georgia Department of Education’s School Finder, public.doe.k12.ga.us, to see what public school options are available in your area.

Private Schools (Click here for a list of Metro Atlanta's Private Schools)
Metro-Atlanta’s private school options run the gamut, and they’re not just for kids from wealthy families. Some subsidize their tuition to keep it affordable across the board, while others use generous scholarship programs to attract students from low-income families to their schools. From religion and single-gender to international and special needs schools, there’s a private school for every learning style and need.

International
International schools, such as High Meadows School in Roswell and the Atlanta International School, strive to build culturally diverse learning environments. In order to earn an International Baccalaureate diploma, which allows students access to colleges and universities around the world, students must complete a liberal arts curriculum, speak at least two languages and participate in the creative arts, sports programs and community service activities before they graduate.

Religious
Religious schools combine a challenging academic curriculum with spiritual instruction. Some emphasize a particular denomination, like Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School in Kennesaw, where Dominican sisters and lay faculty members teach the students. Others, like Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Dominion Christian High School, both in Atlanta, focus on the broad tenants of the Jewish and Christian faiths, respectively.

Montessori
At Montessori schools, teachers focus on the development of the whole child. Children learn to work independently, and the teachers combine individualized instruction, multi-age classes and multi-sensory learning to allow students to develop at their own pace. But, as The First Montessori School of Atlanta in Sandy Springs emphasizes, it’s not an unstructured environment. Students work on highly structured lessons and keep their work spaces and materials well organized; they simply have the freedom to take as long as they feel is necessary to complete their tasks.

Special Needs
While many private schools lack the resources to meet the unique learning needs of special needs students, some specialize in doing just that, focusing their attention on meeting these students’ diverse requirements, whether they’re blind, deaf, learning disabled or just lagging behind their peers in a particular subject area.

For instance, The Howard School in Atlanta personalizes its instruction to meet the varied learning styles of its age 4 through high school students with language learning disabilities and learning differences. At the Atlanta Speech School, students with hearing, speech, language or learning disabilities can tap a myriad of specialized resources to help them reach their full potential, including a speech-language audiology clinic, an extensive library and media center, therapy and remediation rooms, gym, computer lab and diagnostic facilities.

Single-Gender
Single-gender schools enable teachers to tailor their lessons to the different instructional needs of girls and boys. While the academic classes are gender-specific at the schools, such as the Atlanta Girls School, students have many opportunities to socialize with members of the opposite sex at sporting events, dances and community service activities.

Boarding and Military
Boarding schools, some of which double as day schools, allow parents to give their children their first taste of freedom prior to leaving for college. Since both students and faculty reside on campus, boarding students tend to build strong bonds with classmates and instructors alike.

Georgia offers a mix of boarding school programs and military schools. At Brenau Academy, an all-girls boarding high school, students can get a jump on earning college credits by dual enrolling in courses at Brenau University. Brandon Hall, a co-ed day and all-boys boarding school in Rome, specializes in teaching students learning English as a second language as well as gifted students with learning disabilities. At Riverside Military Academy, the seventh- through 12th-grade cadets learn self-discipline, honor and leadership skills while mastering a rigorous college preparatory curriculum.

Whichever option you choose, the metro area’s public and private schools will ensure that your children graduate with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century, and they’re especially adept at seamlessly integrating new students into the learning environment, even when they enroll mid-year.

“Moving is hard for everyone, especially children,” Cox says. “But since we have had such an influx of people in the past few decades, the schools in Georgia—especially in metro Atlanta—are well equipped to help students make the transition. While moving can be tough, most children adjust quickly, making new friends quickly and becoming a part of the school community.”