2016 North Fulton CommunityProfiles

Choosing the
RIGHT School
North Fulton County Schools
fultonschools.org (404) 768 3600
Number of Schools: 32 Elementary, 12 Middle, 11 high
Choosing the right school for your child is one of the greatest challenges
parents face. Being informed of what the different school districts have to
offer students helps make that challenge a little easier for parents. What
North Fulton School District has to offer leaves little wonder as to why it is
one of the top school districts in the state.
Fulton County Schools dominated a list of the best schools in Georgia based
on the state’s report card for 2015-2016. Of the 187 top Georgia schools
named by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, 23 were in Fulton
County. The results are based on the state’s College and Career Ready
Performance Index. The results of the report can be found on its website:
https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/
Public Schools in North Fulton are part of the Fulton County School System.
Founded in 1871, the Fulton County School System is one of the largest and
oldest school districts in Georgia. As the fourth largest school system in
the state, Fulton has approximately 96,200 students who attend classes in
59 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 17 high schools (including two
open campus high schools) and 10 charter organizations. The southern part
of Fulton County is comprised of the cities of Chattahoochee Hills, College
Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Palmetto and Union City. The northern
part is home to the cities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park,
Roswell and Sandy Springs. With a focus on student achievement and a
commitment to continual improvement, Fulton has earned a reputation as
a premier school system. This long history of excellence is evidenced by
the many state and national honors bestowed on Fulton’s schools, staff and
students.
Fulton has a long history of success as a school district. In 2011, FCS was
named “One of the Top 100 School Districts in Places You Can Afford”
by Money Magazine. In 2012, Fulton County Schools became Georgia’s
largest charter system. The charter strengthens the district’s ability to
provide flexibility in its operations which has proven results of increased
student achievement. Fulton’s SAT scores continue to exceed the state
and national average with an overall score of 1558, compared to 1450 and
1490 respectively. Additionally, eight Fulton schools rank within the top
25 highest-scoring schools in Georgia. According to the College Board,
Fulton has more schools with high SAT performance than any other district
in Georgia. More than half of Fulton’s high schools received Advanced
Placement Honor Awards from the Georgia Department of Education. The
awards are given for high performance in AP courses which are rigorous
college-level learning options for high school students. In addition to this,
more than 90% of elementary students in Fulton County, meet or exceed
the state standard for English/Language Arts.
Fulton County Schools believes families should be allowed to choose the
best educational options for students, given each student’s unique needs.
These choices are offered through a number of initiatives in the district that
provide different opportunities and flexibility to families. The following are
a few of the many choices offered by Fulton County Schools.
Charter schools
Charter schools are independently governed, free standing public schools
that offer parents and students an alternative public education outside
the traditional school system. The Charter has been approved and is held
accountable for meeting the performance based objectives specified in the
Charter contract.
Career and Technical Education
Career and Technical Education at Fulton County Schools aims to engage
12
students in cutting-edge, grade appropriate career exploration and
preparation opportunities that set them up to excel in post-secondary
education and productive careers. All Fulton High Schools and many middle
schools offer at least one pathway program and many locations offer several
options.
Magnet Programs
Fulton County Schools offers several magnet programs throughout the
district to provide opportunities for students to explore curriculum focused
on specific areas of study. Programs currently offer studies including
international studies, business, visual & performing arts and math & science.
Virtual School
Fulton Virtual School now offers 20 courses, either as regular course
completion, acceleration, or credit recovery, and more courses are in the
works. The program currently uses adjunct teachers from across the school
system, an administrator and coordinator, and is expanding this year into
middle and elementary school. Fulton students also have the option to
take classes through Georgia Virtual School, which is run by the Georgia
Department of Education. About 1500 Fulton students are enrolled there.
Here are the schools and the categories in which they excelled from this
year’s Governor’s List. The highest performers were those that ranked at or
above the 93rd percentile for their achievement score, while the greatest
gains ranked that way on their progress score. Each ranking is based on
averages over three years.
For more information visit Office of Student Achievement’s website
https://gosa.georgia.gov/
School
Abbotts Hill Elementary School
Alpharetta High School
Autrey Mill Middle School
Cogburn Woods Elementary School
Conley Hills Elementary School
Crabapple Crossing Elem. School
Creek View Elementary School
Dolvin Elementary School
Findley Oaks Elementary School
Heards Ferry Elementary School
Johns Creek High School
KIPP South Fulton Academy School
Lake Windward Elementary School
New Prospect Elementary School
Northview High School
Northwood Elementary School
Ocee Elementary School
River Trail Middle School
Summit Hill Elementary School
Sweet Apple Elementary School
Webb Bridge Middle School
Wilson Creek Elementary School
Woodland Elementary School
Area of Excellence
performance
performance
performance
performance
gains
performance
performance
performance
performance
performance
performance
gains
both
performance
both
performance
both
both
performance
both
both
performance
gains
CommunityProfiles >> 2016/2017
2016NorthFulton3.indd 12
9/10/16 12:20 PM