The first state charter school to operate in Gwinnett County is growing before classes begin.

The State Board of Education on Thursday approved an amendment to increase the enrollment at Ivy Preparatory Academy, an all-girls school opening in Norcross that will eventually educate students from grades 6 to 12.

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State officials fast-tracked the amendment process so that more girls could be accepted into Ivy Prep's inaugural sixth-grade class.

"Usually, those go on for a month, but they wanted to get this done as quickly as they could," said Dana Tofig, spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Education. "The school year is coming up."

Nina Gilbert, lead founder of Ivy Prep, said the enrollment for 2008-09 can now grow from 126 students to 175. But she said only 160 will be accepted to keep class sizes small.

"We have the facility that will allow us to grow," Gilbert said.

The school will be located at 3705 Engineering Drive in Norcross. It will open with only sixth-graders and will add more grades as those students are promoted, Gilbert said.

Last month, Ivy Prep gave the Stanford 10 Achievement Test to 110 potential students to assess their educational level.

Interest in Ivy Prep has been overwhelming, Gilbert added. "We have gotten e-mails from mothers who are still expecting and wanted to be on the waitlist," she said.

Because of the charter amendment, Ivy Prep will now be allowed to have a maximum enrollment of 593 students over the next five years — an increase of about 160 more students than allowed under its earlier charter. Tofig said the state had "no concerns" about the increase in students.

For more information on Ivy Prep, call 770-448-6273 or visit www.ivyprepacademy.org.