Yes, annually, all parents have the opportunity to review the Handbook Information, which includes our media release. 

If you do submit in writing to your principal to opt your student out of photos and videos from GCPS, please note that your written notice will be effective for the current school year only and must be renewed on an annual basis should you wish to continue to opt out of the release of photographs and recordings.

Please also note that Gwinnett County Public Schools will not be responsible for, and cannot control, photographs, audio recordings, or video recordings captured by individuals who are not employed by, affiliated with, or under contract with Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Please contact your local school administration or technology team if you have further questions regarding this topic.

As good stewards of public funds, we are continuously evaluating tools used by schools and districts to support teaching and learning and district operations. 

A cross-functional team of individuals was involved in reviewing RFIs for a two-way communication tool in the spring of 2023. ParentSquare was selected from this process as the tool that would meet the greatest needs within GCPS to support ongoing two-way communication. 

Learn more about ParentSquare and how GCPS is using it on our website. 

Below are the links to the resources to support Health instruction that we have been piloting in Gwinnett County Public Schools:

1. Goodheart Wilcox: https://bit.ly/GwinnettCohealth

2. ETR: https://www.etr.org/healthsmart/

Username: GCPSReview2022@gcpsk12.org

Password: Review2022

Gwinnett’s standards for grades K–12 are called the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) and are aligned to the state-adopted Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies for students at all grade levels. Gwinnett’s AKS are rigorous standards that prepare students for college and 21st century careers in a globally competitive future.

The AKS standards for each grade level spell out the essential concepts students are expected to know and skills they should acquire in that grade or subject. The AKS offer a solid base on which teachers build rich learning experiences. Teachers use curriculum guides, technology, and instructional resources to teach the AKS and to make sure each and every student is learning to his or her potential.

The Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) standards were developed by our teachers, with input from our parents and community, in response to Gwinnett County Public Schools’ mission statement: The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior for each student resulting in measured improvement against local, national, and world-class standards.

Learn more about the AKS. 

Yes. Parents or legal guardians have the option of removing their child from the human sexuality unit at each grade level.  Prior to the parent or legal guardian making a choice to allow his or her child to take the specified unit of instruction, he or she shall be told what instruction is to be provided and have the opportunity to review all instructional materials to be used, print and non-print.  

Parents or legal guardians must notify the principal in writing if they choose to remove their child from the unit. An alternative assignment will be provided for those who opt out of this instruction. 

Learn more about Health and Physical Education in GCPS. 

Gwinnett County Public Schools finds that the quickest and most effective way to resolve a concern regarding your child is by addressing it at the most direct level.

In our school district, we care about each and every student. We also believe that open and honest communication between parents and teachers is a key to student success. Thank you for partnering with your child’s teacher and school to address any concerns.

1. Teacher - First, talk to your child’s teacher or a counselor at school for assistance. Most concerns are resolved at the classroom level.

2. Assistant Principal - If the concern is not resolved at the classroom level, please visit with your child’s assistant principal.

3. Principal - If working with the AP does not adequately address the issue, please meet with the school principal.

4. Assistant Superintendent - If the issue persists, please call 678-301-6000, and ask to speak to the assistant superintendent who is assigned to the school your child attends.

5. Associate Superintendent's Office - If, after following steps one through four, your concern has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please contact the Associate Superintendent for School Improvement and Operations.

Other Resources
If you are experiencing an emergency, dial 9-1-1. The GCPS Hotline for anonymous reporting of potential violence is 770-822-6513. If you have a non-emergency criminal concern, please contact local law enforcement.

Please click one of the files for a downloadable view of this information:

• English
• Español

Fiscal Year 23 Investment in Lower Class Sizes.

Class size reduction is a priority that the Board has challenged the administration to address. As a result, in Our Blueprint for the Future five-year strategic plan that the Board unanimously adopted in July 2022, we have codified Equitable Resource Allocation as Goal 2. C within the Equity strategic priority. This goal includes an objective that explicitly states that the district will do the following: “Develop a long-term strategy for reducing class sizes in alignment with research that suggests the greatest impact of smaller classes for students in the early grades and those performing below grade level.” Though this class size reduction will take some time to fully address, the Board and administration have already taken significant steps to tackle the issue in the most recent budget for Fiscal year (FY) 2023 (the school year 2022-2023).

The table below shows the current teacher allotment for reducing class sizes in GCPS compared to the prior year. As a result of these changes, we added 651 allotment points for teaching positions in the July 2022 budget amendment. This was in addition to the 182 teaching positions to reduce class sizes in the original FY 23 budget proposal the Board approved in June. Therefore, the Board has invested over $84 million to allocate 833 teaching positions toward reducing class sizes. Our HR team is working with schools to hire these positions over the next year with the goal of being able to see notable improvements in class sizes across all schools in the 2023-2024 school year.   

Category	FY22 Class Size Allotment Formula	FY23 Class Size Allotment Formula	% Class Size Reduction
Kindergarten	22	18	-18%
Grades 1-3	25	21	-16%
Grades 4-5	27	26	-4%
Grades 6-8	27	25	-7%
Grades 9-12	27	26	-4%
ESOL K-5	13	12	-8%
ESOL 6-8	16	15	-6%
ESOL 9-12	20	19	-5%

Fiscal Year 23 Reallocation of Assistant Principal Resources.

We determined that in the Fiscal Year (FY) 22 schools hired 88 assistant principal positions above the allotted amount. To pay for these additional AP roles, schools were using monies intended to support 114 additional teaching positions. The Board approved FY 23 budget amendment and increased the assistant principal allotment such that schools were able to then use their resources as intended for the 114 teaching positions.

These 114 teaching positions are reallocated above and beyond the 833 teaching positions directly allocated to schools in the FY 23 budget amendment. So, we are approaching 1,000 additional teaching positions for schools, and this does not include additional resources for special education classrooms.

Scheduling and Specialized Supports.

As we continue to work on class size reduction, we are reviewing our scheduling guidance for schools to ensure that schedules are efficiently and equitably utilizing teacher resources. You can see in the chart above, none of our class size allocations are at 28 students. Yet, due to scheduling and principal autonomy to redistribute points for teaching positions, we often end up with class sizes that are beyond what we have resourced in our budget. We will continue to work on this issue, as well as consider how we revise our guidelines for the use of teacher position budget points to ensure average class sizes reflect the allotment targets.

Career opportunities in Gwinnett County Public Schools, the largest employer in the county and one of the largest employers in the state, are available online. With GCPS' online application process, prospective employees have a more efficient way to find employment opportunities in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Online, applicants can learn more about available jobs, apply for those positions, and track their progress throughout the application process all with 24/7 access from any computer with an Internet connection. If you have questions or need technical assistance, call the HR Customer Support Center at 678-301-6161 during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday).

Attendance zones for Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) are determined by geographical boundaries called clusters. Within each cluster, there are three to six elementary schools, one or two middle schools, and one high school. Attendance lines drawn within the cluster’s boundaries determine which elementary or middle school in the cluster a student attends. To find which school your child will attend, use the GCPS SchoolLocator.

GCPS has a number of facilities and programs for which attendance is not determined by cluster. These include:

• ADAPT (special education school)
• GIVE Center East (alternative school)
• GIVE Center West (alternative school)
• Gwinnett County Online Campus (district online school)
• Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
• Maxwell High School of Technology (career and technical education program)
• Monarch School (special education school)
• New Life Academy of Excellence (charter school)
• North Metro Academy of Performing Arts (themed elementary school, gr. K-5)
• Oakland Meadow School (special education school)
• Phoenix High School (open campus school) 
• STRIVE (special education school)
• The BRIDGE (special education school)

Registration for newcomers is held weekdays, year-round, at all elementary, middle, and high schools. Please call your local school for an appointment. To find out which school your child will attend, use GCPS School Locator.

Please review GCPS registration information for more information. To order your child's Georgia birth certificate online, please visit the state's ROVER (Request Official Vital Events Records) website.

Both the immunization form (Georgia Form #3231) and the medical form (Georgia Form #3300) are available from the health department and through most Georgia doctors and dentists.

For Georgia Form #3300, letters from appropriate healthcare professionals and out-of-state certificates are acceptable, if completed within the previous 12 months and stapled to the state form. These exams are available at Gwinnett County Health Department locations for a fee.

No. Only health departments and physicians licensed in Georgia can obtain blank immunization certificates (Form #3231). Take your child's personal immunization record to a Georgia health department or Georgia doctor and they can complete the form and give any required vaccines. A fee may be charged for completing paperwork or for administering required immunizations.

Blank medical forms are available only to health departments and doctors and dentists licensed in Georgia. However, letters from appropriate healthcare professionals and out-of-state certificates are acceptable for the medical form (#3300), if completed within the previous 12 months and stapled to the state form. Vision, hearing, and dental, and nutrition screening exams are available at Gwinnett Health Department locations for a fee.

Gwinnett's Academic Knowledge and Skills or AKS is the essential curriculum for grades K-12 in Gwinnett schools. It spells out precisely what students are expected to learn and be able to do in each grade/subject. Developed by Gwinnett educators with input from more than 5,000 parents and citizens, it was initially adopted in 1996 and is reviewed annually. The AKS for each grade level and content area  is available on the district website.

Students in Gwinnett County Public Schools participate in standardized tests for their grade level throughout the year. These tests, when used as part of a comprehensive assessment program that includes homework, projects, classwork, teacher-developed tests, and other local assessments, help parents and teachers measure student achievement.

Learn more about Gwinnett's assessment program.

Yes. GCPS has one charter school:

• New Life Academy of Excellence

Learn more about Home School.