When North Atlanta High School opens its doors to students Wednesday, they’ll find their new school rises 11 stories high and features a built-in auditorium, gym, rifle range and robotics lab.
The school is located in a former IBM office building about a half-mile from Cobb County’s Chattahoochee River border. It replaces the school’s Buckhead location, which had reached capacity.
Cost: $82.6 million for new construction and renovation, $8.8 million for athletic facilities, $55.3 million for property acquisition
Principal: Howard E. Taylor, previously principal at Gwinnett's Lilburn Middle School
Number of students: 1,650 initially, with enrollment expected to grow to 2,400 in about five years
Number of staff: 97 teachers and support, 22 administration
Security: About 428 cameras installed. Two metal detectors initially, and two more when the school's Assembly Building opens in January.
Layout: The first floor houses Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps classes and the robotics lab. The second floor is the public entrance, with administration offices and a media center. The third floor includes the cafeteria and the 600-seat auditorium. Each grade level and academy will occupy two floors:
- The ninth grade and the Center for Arts, floors 4 and 5.
- The 10th grade and the Center for Business & Marketing, floors 6 and 7.
- The 11th grade and the Center for International Studies, floors 8 and 9.
- The 12th grade and the Center for Broadcast & Journalism, floors 10 and 11.
Getting around: Staircases connect each grade level's two floors, and a central staircase provides access to every floor. Eleven elevators also may be used, with access controlled by school staff.
Athletic facilities: A football/soccer field, track, three tennis courts, a baseball field and a softball field
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