Expand Your Mind & Your Horizons

Nurture your child’s talents and further your career through Atlanta’s plentiful education options.

By Amy Selby

A move to Atlanta often means finding a new home, discovering a new city, starting a new job and leaving behind important people, such as friends, colleagues, teachers and coaches. The search for a school is an important one. Your child’s school should be a welcoming place to work and learn and a place that nurtures your child’s natural talents and interests. If you’re interested in pursuing an advanced degree, an accredited program and accessible professors are a must.

Lucky for you, you’re moving to Atlanta. You’ll find numerous educational choices for you and your child within Atlanta’s public school systems, private school options and university offerings. Within the 28 public school systems in the metro area, you’ll find traditional schools, charter schools, magnet schools focused on the performing arts, math and science and even online options. The private school community is just as diverse, with religious-affiliated schools, Montessori schools, single-sex schools, boarding schools and military academies. When it comes to higher education, Atlanta is a hot bed for prestigious degree programs. You’ll find public and private universities, historic black colleges, art schools and technical universities.

While finding the right educational fit will take planning, research and tours, our guide can help you navigate Atlanta’s educational landscape.

Start with Your Child
Your child holds valuable information that will help you narrow the expansive pool of potential educational choices. Does your child benefit most from a smaller school community or a larger one? Which schools have expanded offerings in your child’s specific interests? Consider your child’s learning style and look for candidates that meet his or her specific educational needs.

With your child’s needs and interests addressed, what do you value for your child’s education? Ask yourself what characteristics and specific programs you’d like to see in your child’s new school.

It’s time to take your hunt to the Web. Atlanta’s public and private schools maintain an online presence to create communication between parents and teachers, and to share their community with prospective families. A quick Internet search will lead you to information on test scores, programs offered, locations, mission statements, special events and awards at specific schools. A good place to start for researching public schools is the Georgia Department of Education at doe.k12.ga.us. You can find links to Atlanta’s private schools at the Atlanta Area Association of Independent School’s website, atlantaprivateschools.com.

Going Public
If you are choosing one of Atlanta’s public schools, your new neighborhood in Atlanta does influence your choices. Public schools have specific attendance zones, so if you’d like a public school education for your child, researching school systems before you buy a home is a plus.

“I think you may be surprised to know that Georgia has seen great strides in student achievement, says Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools. “Georgia has committed to small classes sizes. In some states you’ll see 35 students in a classroom; you won’t find that in Georgia, even on the high school level. This is a welcome surprise for many parents.”

Atlanta’s public schools are also known for their quality buildings, teachers and access to technology. “Our school facilities are second to none,” says Cox, whose own children attend public schools in Fayette County. “We have lots of technology, including computers with modern-day hookups and our teachers are trained to use technology.”

One of Georgia’s biggest innovations in public education is the HOPE Scholarship and Grant Program. “The fact that you can come to Georgia to succeed in school as a “B” student, we try to keep you here by paying for you to go to any college within our university system. We want to keep our best and brightest in Georgia,” Cox says. “It’s a huge educational incentive and economic driver for Georgia.”

Choosing a Private School Education
Atlanta’s private school options are known for their academic excellence, character development, strong school communities and extensive extracurricular programs. “Atlanta is one of the largest independent school markets in the country,” says Father Joel Konzen, president of the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools and principal at Marist High School in Dunwoody. “Our market is large and diverse—it offers any kind of school you’d like to enroll in.”

Atlanta’s private schools each have an admissions process. For most, the application season runs from October to the end of January. During that time you’ll need to attend open house events and file a formal application. It’s wise to have your child’s complete set of academic records ready. Some schools may require an interview and ask for teacher recommendations—here’s where those records will come in handy. Schools then take time to review applicants and their decisions are made usually by early April. You’ll be notified if your child’s application has been accepted or declined. If accepted, you’ll have a specified window of time to accept or decline. If you’re not accepted, your application is likely to be put on a waiting list. You can choose to stay on the list or not.

“A lot of Atlanta private schools have more applicants than seats available. It’s wise to apply to more than one school—especially if you’re applying to a school that receives a good number of applicants and has a waiting list,” says Konzen. “Ask how competitive it is [while applying].”

Many private schools offer rolling admission periods for families who move into the metro area throughout the school year. “Families who are relocating can go to schools to see if any spaces are left for transfers,” Konzen says.

Going Higher
Atlanta’s higher education options are just as diverse as its public and private school offerings. Georgia is best known for its four public research universities, institutions that conduct applied research and offer a full range of doctoral programs. Two of Georgia’s public research universities are located in downtown Atlanta—Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University. The University of Georgia, another public research university, is located in Athens and features satellite campuses in Buckhead, Lawrenceville and Downtown. In addition to the research universities, Atlanta is home to many public, regional and state universities including Kennesaw State University, North Georgia College and State University and Clayton State University. These universities offer notable degree programs in various academic disciplines.

Rounding out Atlanta’s four-year college choices are private schools, including Agnes Scott College, Oglethorpe University, Life University and Emory University, and historic black colleges, including Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College and Morehouse College.

If you’re looking to develop a specific skill set, a technical school could be the best answer. Atlanta’s technical and specialty schools offer degree and certificate programs in culinary arts, health care, automotive specialties, business administration, information technology and more.

Making Your Choice
Choosing a school is a personal and important decision, it’s best to take the necessary measures needed to get a true feeling about your top choices. If you’re searching for an elementary, middle or high school, it’s important to tour the schools with your child. At any school tour—for primary or secondary education—talk with current students, instructors and admissions personnel. Do your best to learn the culture and community of the school, sit in on a class, attend a school event and get a feel for the relationship between the students and instructors.

Whatever school you settle on, you can rest assured knowing that your family will receive a quality education. With Atlanta’s educational institutions focusing on student achievement, high academic standards and innovative programs, you can’t go wrong.