Buford City Schools

The Buford City School System is an independent city system that serves approximately 2,700 students in four schools: Buford Elementary School (K-2), Buford Academy (3-5), Buford Middle School (6-8), and Buford High School (9-12). The schools provide quality education for the students who live within the city limits of Buford, and for a small number of students from other districts who choose to attend Buford City Schools.

Reflecting the demographics of Gwinnett County at large, Buford City School System houses a diverse population. For those students whose native language is not English, and who require additional assistance in English language acquisition, Buford offers a comprehensive ESOL program which provides support in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. For those who have recently arrived in the United States with very limited or no English skills, the system offers instruction in the Language Academy, an intensive short-term education setting designed to accelerate the transition of non-native speakers into ESOL classrooms and mainstream instructional settings.

All Buford students are educated in state-of-the-art facilities that were funded and will continue to be enhanced through SPLOST and through the generous support of the Buford city government. The schools are a high community priority, as evidenced by the close and extraordinarily supportive relationship the city government maintains with the school system.

The academic progress of students is assessed on an ongoing basis in individual classrooms, and summative data are derived from required assessments conducted intermittently through the school year under the auspices of the Georgia Department of Education. The results of two of these summative assessments, the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) and the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT), are key indicators in determining each school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). All four Buford Schools have achieved AYP for the past three years, with Buford Academy and Buford High School having achieved AYP for the past four years.

Other assessments used to gauge student progress are the state-mandated writing assessments, as well as nationally recognized tests such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Although the state mandates administration of such nationally normed assessments only in grades 3, 5, and 8, Buford schools administer the ITBS in Grades 1-8 annually.

This wide variety of assessments provides data that allow Buford teachers and administrators to plan remediation for students who have fallen behind and enrichment for students whose performance level warrants a richer, more challenging curriculum. For those who need additional assistance in order to perform on grade level, the system offers after-school and Saturday school activities. For those who need additional challenges in order to continue to perform above expectations, gifted and enrichment education programs are provided. As students enter high school, those who wish to accelerate their instructional experiences have a menu of Advanced Placement opportunities from which to choose.

The Buford High School Class of 2006 graduated 150 seniors, representing an 88 percent graduation rate, a rate significantly higher than the state average. The average grade-level in Buford City Schools has 205 students, and class sizes are well below the state requirements. For more information, contact Buford City Schools at 770-945-5035 or visit the Web site at www.bufordcityschools.org.