Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) is fully accredited through Cognia. The district offers a focused world-class program based on a challenging curriculum that is taught from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. CCPS serves over 50,000 students and is the 6th largest school system in the state of Georgia. Clayton County Public Schools is located just 17 miles south of Downtown Atlanta, and the district is ranked among the 100 largest school districts in the U.S. Made up of nearly 70 schools and a variety of programs, the school system has over 7,400 employees.
Established with a district-wide theme of Building a Better Tomorrow, Today, CCPS is providing boundless opportunities for its students to be prepared to live and succeed in a global economy through an innovative, technology-based, STEM & STEAM approach to education. CCPS offers a variety of learning options such as traditional schools, fine arts magnet schools and/or programs, Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Pathways, the International Baccalaureate Program, the Cambridge International Program, online/virtual courses, and Gifted Education Programs. As Clayton County houses the world's busiest airport - Hartsfield-Jackson International Atlanta Airport, the school district also provides state-of-the-art facilities for community and district growth and enrichment including the Clayton County Public Schools Performing Arts Center and the S. Truett Cathy Professional Learning Center.
The system has 38 primary/elementary schools, 15 middle schools, 12 high schools, two district-approved charters, one alternative education center, one psychological education center, and one multi-purpose education center. Included in this number are five school-wide magnet schools, 12 magnet programs, one state-certified STEM program, one Cognia (AdvancED) certified STEM program, two International Baccalaureate Candidate schools, and three Cambridge Assessment International schools. The school district is highly diversified with 90 different ethnicities and countries represented. Seventy-two (72) different languages are spoken, with Spanish and Vietnamese as the two major languages spoken.
The district is proud that:
- Two of its high schools have been recognized as being among the top 50 Best High Schools in the United States as published by the US News and World Report.
- Two of its schools have been named by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools in the Exemplary High Performing Schools Category.
CCPS is committed to ensuring that its high school graduates are able to live and compete successfully in a global society. This commitment is observable in a myriad of ways:
- Since the state of Georgia began calculating and monitoring graduation rate in compliance with U.S. Department of Education rules focusing on a four-year cohort, CCPS has experienced a nine-year growth in the percent of students graduating (2011-2020) reflecting a 25.1 percentage point increase in the district-wide rate.
- CCPS is advancing learning for all students by expanding access to accelerated mathematics, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment to increase students’ ability to take on a more rigorous course of study during high school in order to enhance their preparation for college.
- Ninety-five percent of the district’s Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) pathway completers graduate from high school; therefore, CCPS is cultivating the ultimate classroom to career experiences by aligning work-based learning and career pathways to industry demands to increase graduates’ ability to secure high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand careers.
- CCPS has a thriving K-12 Fine Arts program and a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center (PAC) that provides a stage for the community and schools and provides a venue for the performance of our Fine Arts Magnet programs and M.E. Stilwell School of the Arts. The PAC boasts a 6,000 square-foot auditorium stage with a seating capacity of 1,800. The auditorium features an electrically operated orchestra pit. There are two performance rooms. Each is supported with professionally enhanced sound and lighting.
- The district’s School Choice program affords parents the opportunity to apply to schools that reflect the unique needs, interests, and talents of their children. Some of the programs include: Dual Immersion [Spanish, French, Chinese], Early College and Magnets programs, Cambridge Assessment International Education, etc.
- Learning extends into the summer with the district’s highly acclaimed K-12 Summer STEM Camps, which include opportunities for summer internships, coding and robotics, programming and flying Drones, journalism camp, designing Smart Cities, and engaging in farm to table experiences, etc.
Stakeholders in Clayton County Public Schools have embarked on a deep exploration of what high-performing education systems around the world do - with high intention - in order to ensure noteworthy student outcomes. Through this critical analysis, the district anticipates that it will be redesigning systems in an effort to (1) increase students’ readiness for early learning, (2) continue to attract the best and the brightest to lead and teach in our schools, and (3) ensure high-quality teaching and learning that continue to produce CCPS graduates who can think critically, communicate, collaborate, and create in meaningful ways. CCPS looks forward to prosperous future projects that will continue to set the district apart from others. In the near future, the district will construct its first future-ready college and career academy that will create a work-ready pipeline to help drive economic growth locally and beyond. The district continues to refine and expand all strategies focused toward graduating students on time, college, and career-ready.
Through the re-establishment of the Clayton County Public Schools Foundation, Inc., CCPS is steadily increasing its partnerships with businesses, collegiate and community organizations, government agencies, officials, and faith-based entities. While Foundation funds support numerous engagement initiatives and activities, its primary focus is awarding a substantial number of scholarships to graduating CCPS seniors. The district also actively engages the community through volunteer and mentoring opportunities and community partnerships.
