Marietta's city school system is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education. Four of its 10 schools have been named Georgia Schools of Excellence along with one National School of Excellence, and in 2003 the system ranked in the top 15 percent of nationwide school systems. In 2004 the combined average of SAT scores exceeded the national average. Marietta offers a comprehensive program for exceptional and gifted children in elementary, middle, and high school. The system offers special education programs, reading recovery classes, and a program called Project Key aimed at pre-school handicapped children. In the fall of 2005 the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, the city's first magnet school, is scheduled to open and will enroll 360 third to fifth grade students via application only.
In 2003, Cobb County taxpayers extended a "special purpose" sales tax of $637 million for new school construction and technology programs. Of that total, $76 million was allocated for technology and curriculum programs. The need for additional classrooms due to the expanding population is addressed as $205 million of the tax is directed to the building of nine new schools within the county (four elementary, three middle, and two high schools).
The following is a summary of data regarding Marietta's public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 7,558
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 7
junior high/middle schools: 2
senior high schools: 1
other: 1 alternative school
Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $33,455
maximum: $70,568
Funding per pupil: $7,710
Several private schools, both church-affiliated and nonsectarian, are located in the area.
Public Schools Information: Marietta City Schools, 250 Howard St., Marietta, GA 30060; telephone (770)422-3500; fax (770)425-4095
Marietta is the home of two senior colleges of the University System of Georgia. Kennesaw State University, with about 18,000 students, offers a broad selection of undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in business administration and education. Southern Polytechnic State University, founded in 1948 and located within the city, offers its nearly 4,000 students associate degree transfer programs and 23 undergraduate majors in its bachelor degree programs including ten areas of engineering technology and related fields, as well as masters programs in Technology Management and Technical Communication.
The city has two post-secondary institutions. Chattahoochee Technical College offers its 5,000-plus students vocational-technical and supplementary education and industrial short-term training. The school offers four associate of applied technology degree programs and certificate programs in architectural drafting technology and dental assisting. Diploma programs are available in seventeen other fields. The North Metro Technical College offers the associate of applied science degree in business, electronics, and secretarial science. Diploma programs include accounting, information & office technology, electronics and telecommunications. Continuing education programs are also offered, as are customized industry-specific short term courses. Life University offers bachelor's degrees in business administration, nutrition for the chiropractic sciences, and pre-professional education for advanced careers in health care and business. Finally, the private Shorter College has six different schools focused on a liberal arts curriculum.
The Cobb County Public Library System, one of the largest in the state, is comprised of a 64,000-square-foot main library in Marietta and 16 branches with another expected to open in early 2006. The system has almost 680,000 volumes, 1,298 periodical subscriptions, almost 500 microfiches, nearly 8,000 audio and videotapes, 3,200 music CDs, a CD-ROM network, and Internet access. A number of databases are also available free of charge on the library's website. The library is also home to a special historical collection in its Georgia Room containing more than 12,000 items.
Special libraries in Marietta include the Genealogical Center Library, which lends books to the public by mail for a fee (write to them at PO Box 1343, Marietta GA 30007-1343); Lockheed's comprehensive Technical Information Center; and Southern Polytechnic State University's science and engineering library. Three research centers are located in Marietta, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' South Atlantic Division Laboratory, which tests soil and water quality among other activities.
Public Library Information: Cobb County Public Library System, 266 Roswell St., Marietta, GA 30060-2004; telephone (770)528-2320; email cobbcat@cobbcat.org