Kennesaw Schools
Kennesaw is home to 14 public elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 8 high schools. Two of these schools are Virtual Schools, meaning that children attend online classes. One is a Virtual Public School; the other is a Virtual Private School.
Kennesaw neighborhoods are “zoned”, which means that children attend specific public schools depending on where their neighborhood is located. Those who attend private schools can choose from any of the six that are available.
A sampling of public elementary, middle, and high schools is given below. The list is not all-inclusive.
Bullard Elementary School serves students in Grades Pre-kindergarten through 5th Grade who live in the neighborhoods located near and around the Old Stilesboro Road, NW area. Its student/teacher ratio is 14 to 1. Teachers in this school have an average of 10 years teaching experience, and approximately 35% of the teachers hold Master’s Degrees. This school has consistently scored in the 90% range on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) (the state achievement test.)
Chalker Elementary School serves those students in Grades Pre-kindergarten through 5th Grade who live in the neighborhoods near and adjacent to North Booth Road, NW. The school has approximately 800 students enrolled, with a student/teacher ratio of 13 to 2. This school strives to make students feel comfortable and safe by giving attention to the issues of bullying and harassment through student surveys and programs designed to help eliminate or reduce the incidents. In addition, the school has a parent’s lunch and learn session at different times during the year, so that parents can take an active role in their children’s education.
Kennesaw Charter School serves students in Grades Kindergarten through 5th Grade. A charter school is a school that receives public financing, but it is actually run by parents, educators, and companies or organizations. This gives the school more leeway in determining how classes will be conducted, what subjects will be taught and other things, as long as compliance with State regulations is met. Kennesaw Charter School is actually a Science and Math Academy, although it does teach other subjects.
Big Shanty Elementary School (by the way, Big Shanty was the original name for the City of Kennesaw) serves students in Grades 3-5; therefore, it is actually referred to as an Intermediate School. The school provides instruction to approximately 789 students. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities such as chorus, school sports, and academic competitions. Students from Kennesaw neighborhoods who are zoned to attend this school can receive a well-rounded education.
Awtrey Middle School serves students in Grades 6-8 who live in neighborhoods close to Nowlin Road in Kennesaw. There are approximately 800 students enrolled in Awtrey; the student/teacher ratio is 16 to 1. This school offers students a chance to participate in community service projects, thus preparing them to be productive giving members of society as they continue to grow. Students can also participate in the school orchestra as part of its numerous extracurricular activities.
Kennesaw Mountain High School serve students in Grades 9-12. This particular high school is a magnet school, which means it concentrates on specific fields of study, in this case science and math. The fact that this high school is a magnet school made it so attractive that even before the school was built in 2000, students in the junior class at another Kennesaw high school were given the choice of remaining at that high school or attending Kennesaw Mountain. The response of those wanting to attend Kennesaw Mountain was overwhelming.