For some students, graduating from high school can be challenging. Students who are experiencing homelessness, pregnant, working to support their families, or just struggling with the traditional school structure need a different kind of education: one in which they can make their own schedules and work at their own pace. Acceleration Academies provides this kind of education to students in Tucker and DeKalb County.
“Acceleration Academies is a place for students who may have been through things in their life, or maybe they just did not fit into the regular school standards, and they need an alternative means of getting their high school diploma,” Krystal Braxton, the Director of DeKalb County Acceleration Academies, told Rough Draft.
The school blends online courses with in-person support to help students ages 16 to 20 reach their full potential and graduate with their high school diploma. Students are required to spend 12 hours a week onsite at the Tucker campus and 12 hours remote from home, but they create their own schedules to work with the circumstances of their lives. The school is open year-round Monday through Friday.
Since opening in December 2024, 34 students have graduated and received their diploma – not a GED – when they likely wouldn’t have otherwise. Most of the students had dropped out of school, and some came on referral from their school counselors because they were struggling or interested in accelerating their graduation.
School staff recently started hosting college and career fairs, and Braxton said that three students have been accepted into colleges they connected with at these events so far.
Because the school specifically serves students who need an education alternative, Acceleration Academies staff said that many feel more accepted there than at more traditional schools.
“We have supportive staff who are a little more empathetic and understanding about what [students] are going through, Georgia Thompson, a Graduation Candidate Advocate at Acceleration Academies, said, “so they feel good about being able to not only advocate for themselves but [also] feel supported.”
Enrollment in DeKalb County Acceleration Academies is currently open, and tuition is free. More information and enrollment can be found on the Acceleration Academies website.
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