The Atlanta system is located in the city of Atlanta, as well as in unincorporated portions of Fulton and DeKalb Counties. Policies are formed by the nine-member Atlanta Board of Education, all elected positions. The Atlanta schools work closely with parents and local businesses to "stay the course and focus on student success," as Superintendent Beverly L. Hall, Ed.D. explained. Special programs within the Atlanta schools system include Early Childhood Development Centers, three planetariums, two teen parent programs, evening/community high schools and Alternate Schools, programs for exceptional children, exchange student programs, and the Atlanta Area Technical Schools.
Several schools have received state and national awards, including the 2003 National Blue Ribbon Award for Brandon Elementary, and Grove Park Elementary received a 2004 Georgia School of Excellence. In the state of Georgia, any student who graduates from high school with at least a B average is eligible for free college tuition and a $300 per academic book allowance at any of the state's colleges or universities. Those who choose a private college in Georgia get a $3,000 grant. The program is called HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally).
The following is a summary of data regarding Atlanta's public schools as of the 2004–2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 51,000
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 62
middle schools: 16
senior high schools: 10
other: 7 charter and 4 alternate schools
Student/teacher ratio: 14.2:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $39,370
maximum: $78,602
Funding per pupil: $10,993 (2002-03)
More than 150 private schools also operate in the Atlanta area, ranging from residential preparatory institutions to church-affiliated programs. A number of private schools offer foreign language curriculums, including several Japanese schools, a German school and the Atlanta International School.
Public Schools Information: Atlanta Public Schools, Administrative Office, 130 Trinity Ave. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; telephone (404)802-3500
Metropolitan Atlanta is home to 43 post-secondary institutions, including several of the most prestigious in the United States. They feature more than 300 programs of study and offer a variety of associate and undergraduate degrees, as well as graduate degrees in such fields as medicine, law, and theology. Among the city's principal schools are the 11,300-student body Emory University, nationally recognized for its business and medical research programs; Georgia Institute of Technology, with 16,000 students is famous for its research programs in dozens of different high-technology disciplines; and the Atlanta University Center, the largest assemblage of African American institutions in the world. The center is comprised of five colleges: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, and the Inter-denominational Theological Seminary (it previously included a sixth member, Morris Brown College, which lost its accreditation in 2002). Other notable facilities in Atlanta include Georgia State University; Mercer University's Cecil B. Day Campus, its Stetson School of Business and Economics, and its Southern School of Pharmacy; Oglethorpe University; and Art Institute of Atlanta. The Atlanta Technical College offers more than 70 programs in a variety of fields including health and human services, information technology, and skilled trades. The metropolitan area also has large public two-year and four-year colleges to serve students, including Clayton College & State University and several schools that offer specialized vocational and religious instruction.
In addition to a modern central library located downtown, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library operates 34 branches throughout the city and Fulton and DeKalb counties. The system's holdings include more than 2.1 million books, periodical subscriptions, films, and a large collection of compact discs, records, and audio- and videotapes. The Auburn Avenue Research Library, part of the public library system, is devoted to collecting materials on African American history and culture. Among Atlanta's several outstanding historical research libraries is the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, dedicated to the former president. The University of Georgia Libraries hold more than 3.5 million books, and Emory University Libraries house more than 2.7 million books, 39,801 periodical subscriptions, 4.5 million microform units, and 15,653 film and video sources. The various campus libraries in Atlanta house special collections of material; many are open to the public for in-house reading and research.
Nearly 150 research centers are based in Atlanta, most of which are affiliated with either the Georgia Institute of Technology or Emory University. The topics under investigation are wide ranging; among them are health care, computers and software, bioengineering, economics, mining, biotechnology, business, women's studies, electronics, energy, pharmacology, cancer, and immunology.
Atlanta boasts four research centers of international renown. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies some of the world's deadliest diseases in maximum security laboratories. The Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center is the oldest continuously operated center for research on the biological and behavioral characteristics of nonhuman primates. Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is one of the country's premier bioengineering programs producing advances in prosthetics and engineered assistance for the disabled. Tech's Medical Informatics Research Group, part of Georgia Institute of Technology, Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center, explores the ways in which computer science methods and techniques can help solve problems in medicine and biomedicine. Affiliated with Emory University and founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, The Carter Center focuses on global environmental, agricultural, economic, and public health concerns; its Task Force for Child Survival and Development addresses issues of immunization, malnutrition, disease control, and child advocacy.
Public Library Information: Atlanta-Fulton Central Library, 1 Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303; telephone (404)730-1700