Tallulah Falls School acquires Lodge building for middle school

CLARKESVILLE- Now that Tallulah Falls School in Habersham County has acquired a home for a new middle school, there's room for more students, something the private school needs with the growth it has seen recently.

The school late last month acquired the Lodge at Tallulah Falls, and school President Larry Peevy says the conversion to a school building will start March 1. In addition to 20 classroom, the revamped Lodge will house dining facilities and offices for the middle school.

"That's where most of our new growth is coming from, and we were running out of space for 6th, 7th and 8th graders," said Peevy.

Peevy noted that current enrollment for the private school is 260, and they will limit enrollment to 339 total pupils next year. "And, then we will probably continue growing about 25 to 30 percent for a couple of years now that we have facilities to expand a little bit."

He credited parental involvement with the growth of the student population, saying that satisfied parents share the stories of their children's success with other parents. That, said Peevy, leads more parents to enroll students at Tallulah Falls. He noted, too, that 100 percent of Tallulah Falls graduates attend college, and that track record is a draw for the college-prep school, as well.

The bulk of the student population growth has come from day students.

"We are even supplementing that with bus service in four different counties," said Peevy.

The former Lodge building is located on Highway 441 directly across from the existing Tallulah Falls School on property already owned by the school. Peevy said the new middle school should be ready for students in time for the 2011-2012 school year.