Back-to-school at-a-glance

By Ken Stanford Contributing Editor

Posted 9:06AM on Saturday, August 2, 2008

DAWSON COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Monday, Aug. 11 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 3,470 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 4 percent *NEW SCHOOLS: Dawson County Middle School WHITE COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Thursday, Aug. 7 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 3,875 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 75 students *NEW SCHOOLS: Mossy Creek Elementary School *ALSO NEW: Sixth-grade is being moved out of White County Middle School to the elementary schools because of the need for additional space in the middle school. HABERSHAM COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Friday, Aug. 8 *EXPECT ENROLLMENT: 6,972 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 116 students *NEW SCHOOLS: Fairview Elementary School FORSYTH COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Monday, Aug. 11 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 31,000+ *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 8 percent *NEW SCHOOLS: None, but expect to open five new schools for the 2009-10 school year *ALSO NEW: Existing schools are "built out" so there's no room for new classrooms, but school system did spend $30 million on renovations this summer and added artificial turf to the football fields at the four high schools. GWINNETT COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Monday, Aug. 11 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 159,000 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 3,000 *NEW SCHOOLS: Puckett's Mill Elementary School (Dacula); Rosebud Elementary School (Loganville); Trip Elementary (Grayson); Benefield Elementary School (Lawrenceville); and Lanier Middle School (Buford). Benefield and Lanier are actually replacement schools. *ALSO NEW: 27 classrooms added to existing schools JEFFERSON CITY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Friday, Aug. 1 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 2,630 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 134 *NEW SCHOOLS: None *ADDITIONS: 21 new classrooms in the middle school; new agriculture barn at the high school. LUMPKIN COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Thursday, Aug. 7 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 4,000 *NEW THIS YEAR: Adding French and Chinese classes to middle school curriculum and adding Junior ROTC at middle school. All elementary school classrooms will have smart boards this year and more honors classes are being added at the high school. BARROW COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Friday, Aug. 15 *NEW THIS YEAR: Major renovations to both high schools, taking them to 1,200-1,800 capacity by adding 35-40 classrooms to each school. Spent about $70 million on building program over last year - adding classrooms, renovating schools, etc. BANKS COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Friday, Aug. 8 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: Just under 3,000 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: About 200 *NEW THIS YEAR: The system is going to a modified block schedule at the high school. GAINESVILLE *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Thursday, Aug. 7 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 6,319 HALL COUNTY *FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Thursday, Aug. 7 *EXPECTED ENROLLMENT: 26,229 *INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR: 3.5 percent *NEW SCHOOLS: Chestnut Mountain Elementary on Union Church Road, which will be the largest elementary school in the county, with 900+ students. It will house the current Chestnut Mountain district as well as students from the Spout Springs district. Also new: the World Language Academy, Hall County's first School of Choice and first Charter School, located in the old Chestnut Mountain Elementary School on Winder Highway, which was renovated over the summer. Not all school systems in the area responded to our requests for information. Among the private schools in Hall County, classes begin Aug. 7 at Trinity Day School; Aug. 11 at North Georgia Christian School (formerly Westminster Christian) and Maranatha Christian Academy; Aug. 12 at Lakeview Academy; Aug. 13 at Jubilee Christian Academy; and Aug. 18 at Brenau Academy and Riverside Military Academy. Exact start dates were not available for Chattahoochee Christian School and Hopewell Christian Academy.

Ken Stanford Contributing Editor