What is the status of the new North Atlanta campus?

Atlanta Public Schools purchased a 56-acre property at 4111 Northside Parkway, approximately 3.6 miles north of our existing campus.  Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2012 and the first classes are scheduled to begin in August 2013.  There are two existing buildings and a parking deck on the site, which has been the location of IBM’s Atlanta operations for many years.

Current plans call for one existing building to be converted into nearly 400,000 square feet of instructional space.   The other building will be torn down and a new complex will be built to house athletic and performing arts facilities.

In the meantime, North Atlanta students will continue to enjoy the benefits of a $30 million plus renovation of the current North Atlanta campus that was completed in spring 2011.  During the three-year project, virtually every interior and exterior space was updated.  This campus is slated to become a middle school once the new high school construction is complete.

What is North Atlanta’s current enrollment?

The 2011-2012 school year began with approximately 1365 students enrolled.

What are Small Learning Communities and why does North Atlanta have them? 

North Atlanta is organized into four Small Learning Communities (SLCs), which include Business and Marketing, Center for the Arts, Global Broadcasting and Journalism, and International Studies.   Each SLC has a capacity of approximately 400 students. 

All SLCs provide the framework of a solid core curriculum in math, science, language arts and social studies.  This is the “major” of every high school student.  Electives that suit a student’s interests and strengths represent the “minor.”  Accordingly, a student in the Center of the Arts will have a schedule of core classes, with most electives concentrated in the performing and/or visual arts. 

Beyond the obvious benefits of a smaller learning environment, the SLC approach mirrors that of college curriculum by mastering a strong core subject area. As a result, our students graduate with a transcript that reflects a coherent, consistent, in-depth study of a subject area of interest as opposed to a hodgepodge approach to meeting academic requirements.  This is a competitive advantage when applying to colleges as admissions officers increasingly evaluate a high school’s “strength of program” when making admissions decisions.  North Atlanta’s SLC environment and IB curriculum provide a powerful combination. 

 
What is the SLC enrollment process? How can I make sure that my child will get into his/her SLC of choice?

NAHS counselors work with Sutton counselors to begin the registration process in March. Students have an opportunity to select their SLC, foreign language and elective (for the latter, students are asked to rank their first,second and third choices). All registration paperwork is completed before spring break. Schedules are received the first day of school. There are opportunities to request schedule changes, which are handled by the counselor in each SLC.

Is it possible for students from one SLC to take courses in another SLC?

Yes. Students in International Studies, for example, usually take a course in the Center for the Arts as the IB curriculum includes arts classes.  Similarly, all freshman and sophomores are required to take a foreign language as part of the IB Middle Years Programme curriculum.  As a result,students from all SLCs take foreign language classes that are “housed” within the International Studies SLC. 

If my child is an average student, will he or she be suited for the rigor of an IB curriculum?

There are three important points to make regarding this very frequently asked question:  First, our IB experts, who have years of experience, will tell you that the most important indicator of success in the IB Diploma program is discipline, organization and motivation, not past academic performance.

Second, students make the decision to pursue the IB Diploma at the end of their sophomore year.  If a student decides the IB Diploma Programme is not in his or her best interest, then an alternative, college preparatory schedule can be pursued. 

Third, the purpose of high school is to prepare students for college. Regardless of whether a student passes the necessary tests to receive the IB Diploma at the end of his or her senior year, the experience of having taken inquiry-based IB classes will be excellent preparation for your child’s college career.   

What is the time line for integrating the IB Diploma Programme into the Business/Marketing, Center for the Arts and Global Broadcasting SLCs?

All SLCs will begin to offer IB Diploma courses at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. The intent is that the Class of 2014 will be able to complete an IB Diploma their senior year in their respective SLC.

Which SLCs are college preparatory programs and how do North Atlanta students fare in college admissions?

All SLCs offer a college preparatory curriculum. North Atlanta is proud of a 99 percent college acceptance rate. The Class of 2011 earned over $17 million in college scholarships. NAHS graduates are currently enrolled at the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Dartmouth, Clemson, Colgate, Cornell, Davidson, Harvard, Emory, Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Rice, Swarthmore, William & Mary,Vanderbilt, Williams and the Universities of Chicago, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin JUST to name a few!

What is block scheduling?

NAHS students take eight classes – four each on alternating A and B days.   By limiting each school day to four classes, we are able to extend each class by nearly 40 minutes.  This provides our teachers with more instructional time in each period, particularly in more participatory classes such as science labs and arts classes, and the block schedule provides our students with a day between classes to balance the IB workload better. 

What foreign languages are offered at NAHS?

French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese. NAHS is the only public or private high school in the Southeast to offer a four-year Arabic and Chinese program and one of the few high schools in the United States to do so.

What athletic facilities are located on the NAHS campus?

* Football/Soccer/Lacrosse Artificial Turf Field
* Baseball/Softball Field
* Three Tennis Courts
* Two Gymnasiums
* Multipurpose Room for Wrestling & Cheerleading
* Outdoor Track
* Weight Room
* Locker Room

What off-campus athletic facilities does NAHS use?

Like many urban school systems across the country, North Atlanta shares some athletic facilities due to limited in-town land availability and zoning laws. Our home football games are played at Grady Stadium in midtown. Our swim team practices at the Washington Park pool, while our golf team plays at Bobby Jones Golf Course. The proposed new high school campus would more than double the footprint of the current North Atlanta campus, thus opening the possibility for expanded field space and other athletic facilities.

Will Sutton remain the only feeder school for the proposed new high school?

The current proposal does not change the boundaries for North Atlanta High School. The six elementary schools and one middle school currently feeding North Atlanta will feed the new high school.

Are there students at NAHS from outside its zoned attendance area? Is this expected to change in the future?

In 2008, the Atlanta Board of Education approved Sutton as the only feeder middle school to North Atlanta. Students who were outside the Sutton zone were grandfathered to NAHS. These students have now graduated.  Any students from outside the zoned attendance area are at North Atlanta due to administrative transfer requests,which are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

What percentage of Sutton 8th graders choose to attend NAHS?

In the past three years, approximately 90 to 95 percent of the eighth grade Sutton class have chosen to attend North Atlanta.