Classes start for three Atlanta schools

Students at Boyd, Centennial Place and Hutchinson elementary schools in Atlanta started classes Wednesday.

All three schools are the only public school campuses in the city to use a year-round calendar, which starts earlier than usual and has more breaks during the year. The year-round concept began several years ago as an alternative to the traditional school calendar. The goal was to provide some flexibility in scheduling and, along with summer school and enrichment programs, help students retain more of what they learned.

Centennial Place and Boyd elementary schools went first, adopting a year-round calendar in 1999. Hutchinson Elementary followed in 2004.