Boasting a strong curriculum, exceptional professional educators, reliable testing, high-caliber support staff, modern facilities, a commitment to continuous improvement and a high level of parental involvement and community support, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) offers an environment where more than 152,000 students acquire the knowledge and skills to be successful at the post-secondary level and/or in the workforce.
GCPS is the largest school system in Georgia. The 2002-2007 building program and the plan to provide classrooms through 2014 is part of the system’s long-range response to the phenomenal growth of the county’s student population. School construction is primarily funded through the penny sales tax, which was approved by Gwinnett voters specifically for that purpose. In addition, the Board of Education authorized a lease-purchase agreement with the Gwinnett Development Authority in 2004 to supplement lagging sales tax revenue. This timely, practical, and efficient financing method has allowed the school system's 2002-2007 building program to stay on schedule. It has also allowed GCPS to buy sites now, while land is affordable and available, for the 37 new schools that will be needed through 2014.
The Gwinnett County Public Schools continually earn state and national awards that reflect the high-caliber staff, students, and programs of the school system. In 2005-2006, GCPS boasted: 12 distinguished Title I schools; Georgia’s Economic Education Program of Excellence; an Intel/Scholastic School of Distinction; four Georgia Schools of Excellence; industry-certified technical education programs; national recognition for system and school level fine arts programs; eight schools on Newsweek’s list of top U.S. high schools, national awards for after-school activities and citizenship programs; one of the top sports programs in the country; and state and national recognition for excellence in Advanced Placement in math and science. Under the state’s new accountability system, 26 Gwinnett schools were recognized for improving and promoting excellence in academic achievement.
Gwinnett schools focus on teaching and learning; as a result, students are achieving at high levels. Gwinnett County students benefit from a rigorous curriculum, exceptional teaching, and reliable testing that combine to form a comprehensive, world-class instructional program based on specific standards. The Academic Knowledge & Skills (AKS) curriculum, in place since 1996, clearly states what a student will learn and how it will be measured in each grade or subject. Because the AKS details exactly what a child is expected to learn, teachers can tailor the classroom experience to meet a child’s individual needs. The basic academic program includes language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. A Gwinnett education also includes instruction and experiences in art, music, foreign language, physical education, health, and technical/technology programs. At the beginning of each school year, parents receive a free booklet outlining the AKS for their child’s grade level. Newcomers wishing to review the AKS prior to relocating may do so on the school system’s Web site, www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us. Copies also are available at local schools.
Gwinnett has developed Gateway tests to measure how well a student has learned the AKS. In grades 4 and 7, the Gateway tests help determine student promotion to the next grade level. For this state test, Gwinnett has set its own pass score, which students must meet to move to the next grade level. In addition, students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 must meet grade-level expectations on certain subtests of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) in order to earn promotion.
At the high school level, students must pass a Gateway test, which is first administered in 10th grade, in order to earn a regular GCPS diploma. In addition, all Georgia high school students must pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test to earn a regular diploma. To obtain Gwinnett test results, call 678-301-6019.
The school system continues to raise academic standards for its students, looking to ensure that every child reaches his or her potential. For example, GCPS requires that all eighth grade students take Algebra I. Students begin preparation for the more rigorous mathematics course as early as pre-kindergarten and continue through elementary and middle school with exposure to basic algebraic concepts.
Gwinnett students excel in many ways, including standardized testing. The average combined SAT score in GCPS high schools for 2005-06 was 1541, surpassing the state average of 1477 and the national average of 1518. With hard work and the assistance of dedicated teaching professionals, Gwinnett students score consistently higher than their peers around the nation. In 2005-06, Gwinnett County high school students averaged 21.6 of a possible 36 on the ACT, besting the state average of 20.2 and the national average of 21.1.
Gwinnett County teachers and administrators strive to help all students succeed academically. Teachers provide extensions and interventions to help meet students’ academic needs in addition to regular class work. Title I, Reading Recovery, before- and after-school tutoring, transition programs, adult mentor programs, and summer school are examples of the extra help that is available to students. In addition, special education services are available for students ages 3-21 who have physical, mental, or emotional impairments. Students’ emotional and physical needs are cared for through guidance, social work, and psychological services. The school system's technical education programs also offer students a wide variety of educational opportunities, from classes offered at every high school to specialized courses found at Maxwell High School of Technology and the Grayson High School Technical Education Program.
Gwinnett County Public Schools also offers another way for high school students to earn course credit—online courses, through Online Campus. Online courses are offered as tuition-based 7th or 8th period classes, outside a student's regular class schedule. Students may take courses to get ahead or to make up a class previously failed. Online courses allow students to work at the time of day that is best for them, providing the flexibility to learn outside the regular school day. However, courses are teacher-directed, not self paced. Students have face-to-face meetings with teachers, due dates, examinations, and instruction from their teacher. Find additional information on prerequisites, course offerings, and fees at www.gwinnettk12online.net
Serving an ethnically diverse area, Gwinnett schools house a range of student backgrounds. Approximately 61 percent of students in grades K-12 are African-American, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic or multi-racial. Among Gwinnett students, more than 100 different languages are spoken. GCPS offers the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program that includes instruction in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn about American culture while being encouraged to retain a sense of their own culture. More than 16,000 students are enrolled in Gwinnett’s ESOL Program. The school system has five translators on staff—Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese, and Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian)—to help schools communicate with students and parents.
Gwinnett County schools’ gifted education programs provide academic challenges for more than 17,400 intellectually advanced students each year. Participating students receive instruction in a resource class, cluster-group class, or content-based class. Students are placed in gifted education based on Georgia Department of Education criteria. In addition, high school students may take Advanced Placement classes, essentially college-level coursework offered through their local schools. Students who do well on post-course exams may earn college credit.
Recognizing the importance of global and economic studies, Norcross High offers the highly regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) program to students. Norcross students have the opportunity to excel in an advanced environment in the IB program, one of only 597 such programs in the nation and one of 19 in the state. The two middle schools that feed into Norcross High—Pinckneyville Middle and Summerour Middle—offer the middle school IB program.
Close to 7,500 students participated in graduation at15 Gwinnett high schools in 2006, earning a cumulative total of nearly $51 million in scholarships, not including the HOPE scholarship. For the Class of 2006, 86 percent of the graduates planned to attend college or a post-secondary school.
Cluster Attendance Zones
Gwinnett County students enroll in schools according to “cluster” attendance zones. A cluster is a geographical area containing three to five elementary schools, all of which feed into one or two middle schools and one high school. There are 15 clusters in the county, each named for the high school in the area: Berkmar, Brookwood, Central Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Duluth, Grayson, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett.
In addition to the 15 cluster high schools, three Gwinnett high schools serve specific needs of the county’s students. Maxwell High School of Technology and Grayson High School, Technical Education Program focus on technical and technology programs while Phoenix High School is an open-campus high school with a more flexible school day schedule.The school system also operates behavioral intervention, special education, and international newcomer programs.
For more information about Gwinnett County Public Schools, contact the GCPS Department of Communication and Media Relations at 678-301-6019 or visit www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us. Information is also available at the Georgia Department of Education’s Web site, www.doe.k12.ga.us.
Gwinnett County Public Schools Education Portfolio
| Students (as of 9/06) | 152,839+ |
Teachers (as of 8/31/04)
| approximately 10,700 |
| Average SAT Score (2005-06) | 1541 |
| Average ACT Score (2005-06) | 21.6 |
| Accreditation: | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
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