The Jackson County School System has purchased 170 acres near Hoschton which will be used for the development of new schools in the future.
According to a press release from the district, the acquisition was months in the making and was part of a deliberate process to ensure the property fits the needs to hold future school sites.
The land is located off Highway 332 and Boone Road in Hoschton, and is large enough to accommodate the construction of multiple schools.
School administration conducted an evaluation of traffic flow, current and future growth taking place in the area and projected student enrollment counts for the school system. The property has multiple access points, has manageable topography and already has water and sewer connections.
“This is a monumental day for the Jackson County School System,” Superintendent Dr. Philip Brown said. “We have to be thinking about the future of our school system and this property acquisition helps prepare our system and county for a robust future in public education, not just in the next five years but for the next 50 years. We have worked tirelessly to find suitable school property sites, while also ensuring we are good stewards with our funds.
“I believe we accomplished our task of finding future school property while also making certain we were fiscally responsible. I want to commend our Board of Education for sharing the foresight to purchase this property to better prepare our rapidly growing school system.”
The funds used to purchase the property are part of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The purchase was made at a price of about $32,500 per acre.
"The Jackson County School System is one of the fastest growing school systems in the state of Georgia with a current enrollment of over 10,700 students, which is a 32% increase from the 2019-2020 school year," the press release said. "JCSS opened Legacy Knoll Middle School in August of 2023 and is preparing to open the new Heroes Elementary School in August 2024."
