Gifted Atlanta

As reported by Martha Dalton in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fulton County Schools is accepting applications from people outside the county for three of its high-performing — yet underenrolled — high schools. Out-of-county attendees will be charged tuition, but if your child is at a high-school that’s not working well for them and you’ve thought about moving them to a private school, the cost to attend these Fulton schools is a fraction of typical private-school tuition.

The available schools are North Springs High School in Sandy Springs, Northview High School in Johns Creek, and Global Impact Academy in Fairburn.

According to the article, the majority of enrolled students at all three of these schools take Advanced Placement or dual enrollment classes. This is important for high-achieving students, because when lots of students take AP classes, schools tend to offer a wider variety of AP courses.

In addition to its standard curriculum, North Springs houses two magnet programs: one for math and science, and the other for visual and performing arts. Global Impact Academy is a STEM magnet school.

Tuition for non-Fulton residents is $11,000 per year or $5,500 per semester, which is a lot to attend a public school, but far less than the area’s prestigious private schools. As a comparison, annual tuition at Pace Academy, Lovett, and Westminster is over $40,000 per year; Paideia and Atlanta International School charge more than $30,000 per year; and Fulton Science Academy is over $25,000 per year.

As you would expect, students attending these schools from outside the attendance zone have to provide their own transportation.

The application period for the fall semester goes through September 30, which surprises me, because school is scheduled to begin August 3. If you’re sure you want your child to attend one of these schools in the coming school year, I suggest submitting your application soon, so they can begin school there on the first day. But with the window to apply remaining open through September, if your child starts school in August and you find their school isn’t a good fit, you’d still have time to try to move to one of these Fulton County high schools.

To learn more, visit the Find Your Future page on the Fulton County Schools website.

You can find Martha Dalton’s story here, but note that the AJC has a paywall for articles.