$1M grant will help build new Atlanta elementary school

Atlanta Public Schools decided a couple years ago to close Woodson Elementary and merge it with Grove Park Intermediate to create the pre-kindergarten through 8th grade Woodson Park Academy.

The academy is currently located at 20 Evelyn Way and will move into the new building in 2020.

Starting in 2019, the school will be run and staffed through a contract that APS signed with KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools, a nonprofit group of public charter schools. It will operate as a neighborhood school, with no lottery or entrance requirements, the district said.

The $1 million grant from Bank of America launches a campaign by APS and the Grove Park Foundation to raise money to build a new school. The district will contribute $18.5 million toward the new school through a one-penny sales tax.

The new school will include a health center for students, their families and the community. A new YMCA early learning center and wellness center also will be located at the site.

“The goal of the revitalized campus is to give families comprehensive support with proven partners. Students will have access to early childhood programming, a YMCA, a health clinic, and more. APS is committed to graduating students ready for college and career and realizes in addition to a high-quality education, our work also includes helping families break the cycle of poverty. Through the many partnerships and investments in the Grove Park neighborhood, APS believes this new campus will provide a holistic approach to educating our Woodson Park Academy students and give them choice-filled lives,” the district said, in a statement released by spokesman Seth Coleman.