City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Education

Telephone: (404) 768-3600

Address: 786 Cleveland Ave. SW

Description: Besides Atlanta, the county seat, nine other incorporated cities lie within Fulton’s boundaries: Alpharetta, Roswell, Mountain Park, College Park, Hapeville, East Point, Fairburn, Palmetto, and Union City. The Fulton County school system serves students in these cities as well as the unincorporated areas of the county. More than 72,000 students from diverse backgrounds attend Fulton County’s 58 elementary, 19 middle, 16 high schools, and 6 charter schools. As with the surrounding metro counties, Fulton is in the midst of a building program for new schools, to help relieve the serious overcrowding in some of the northern arc schools. The communities represented are rural, suburban, and urban; students have the opportunity to interact with and develop an understanding of a variety of people. The student-teacher ratio averages from 18 to 26 students per teacher systemwide. Fulton County schools’ curriculum stresses academic achievement and success. Local option sales taxes passed in 1997 provided five years of funds for extensive renovations in every Fulton County school and the construction of 18 new schools. College Park Elementary School is the first in Georgia to offer a year-round schedule. Mimosa Elementary is a state pilot site for Japanese language instruction. The system provides comprehensive programs for exceptional children, including those with mental and behavioral disorders, high academic talent, physical limitations, and learning disabilities. School counselors implement developmental guidance programs to help students maximize their potential. Fulton’s elementary schools offer after-school child care and half-day and full-day summer enrichment programs. Selected middle schools offer after-school enrichment programs as well as intramural physical education activities. Fulton County high schools offer a broad range of extracurricular activities including athletics, honor societies, career awareness opportunities, and recreational programs. Four high schools offer magnet programs to help students interested in concentrating their studies in mathematics and science, international studies, or visual and performing arts. With an 89 percent graduation rate, more than 90 percent of Fulton graduates continue their education. Fifteen Fulton County schools are Georgia Schools of Excellence; four are National Schools of Excellence. Fulton’s honors include: Georgia Educator of the Year in numerous curricula and the Presidential Award Winner for Excellence in Science Teaching. In June 2009, four of the system’s schools were ranked in the country’s top 500 by Newsweek magazine; the College Board has presented the system with an Award in Excellence for advanced placement courses.