More than 13,600 students are taking classes in the Fulton County Schools Summer Learning Program.
“The public might be surprised though that summer is actually our busiest time of the year in many ways,” Superintendent of Schools Mike Looney said. “There’s a lot of activities happening,”
Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones said 4,500 of the 7,700 classes being taken are accelerated learning.
“We have so many students that are going above and beyond getting just a little bit ahead the summer. While we also have some students who are in our schools who needed just a little bit more time,” he told the school board during its June 6 meeting.
The program has 8,300 face-to-face student enrollments at 35 locations and an additional 5,391 students participating virtually.
“These 35 sites have not only our students or our staff, but we have administrators, we have lunch and breakfast. We have recess. We have learning. All that’s going on,” Jones said.
More than 1,100 staff members – teachers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, principals, tech support, nutrition, safety officers, counselors, and district staff – are keeping the summer program running.
Jones said he visited Heards Ferry Elementary School in Sandy Springs on the first day of Summer Learning and saw the students who came from different schools in attendance.
More than 400 of the students are in dual enrollment with different universities this summer, he said. Of those 406 students, 29 of them are enrolled in the district’s Auburn First Program.
Since fall 2022, students in grades 10 through 12 enrolled in Fulton County high schools, including North Springs and Riverwood High Schools, who meet eligibility requirements can participate in the Auburn First Program, according to the university.
Fulton County Schools students who complete Auburn First coursework in two or more terms with a 3.0 or higher unadjusted cumulative GPA by Aug. 15 at the beginning of their senior year will qualify for automatic admission to Auburn University.
“There’s a lot of opportunities and our students and families are definitely taking advantage of it,” Jones said.