As students and teachers prepare for the upcoming year, Cherokee County Schools will be hosting open houses and walk-throughs July 25-31 to give parents the chance to learn more about their children's schools.
With that in mind, here is a complete guide for families to the Cherokee County School District for the 2017-18 school year.
- First day of school: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017
- Fall Break: Sept. 18-22
- Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 20-24
- Winter Break: Dec. 25-Jan. 5
- Spring Break: Apr. 2-6
- Last day of school: Friday, May 25, 2018
Cherokee County School Board
Board meetings are held regularly at 7 p.m. on the first and/or Thursday of the month at Canton High School. More information on the Cherokee County Board of Education and its members can be found here.
Superintendent: Dr. Brian V. Hightower
Hightower started his career with the district as a teacher at E.T. Booth Middle School. He has held several positions with the district including assistant principal, principal and deputy superintendent.
The school board unanimously approved Hightower as the superintendent in December 2015, and he began his tenure on Feb. 1, 2016. For more information about Hightower, visit his bio here.
Facts and figures
The Cherokee County School District has more than 42,299 students and 4,500 employees in 41 schools and centers, making it Georgia’s ninth-largest school district.
- Number of elementary schools: 24
- Number of middle schools: 7
- Number of high schools: 6
- Number of centers/programs: 4
- Number of new teachers in 2017: 256
Student demographics (2016-17)
- White 69.4 percent
- Hispanic 17.6 percent
- Black 7.4 percent
- Multiracial 3.5 percent
- Asian 1.8 percent
- Other .3 percent
New principals for 2017-18
- Christian Kirby, Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
- Michael Manzella, E.T. Booth Middle School
- Dr. Abigail May, Canton ES STEM Academy
- Dr. Susan Zinkil, Creekland Middle School
- Dawn Weinbaum, Dean Rusk Middle School
- Robern Horn, Etowah High School
- Kimberly Hagood, Free Home Elementary School
- Karen Carl, Little River Elementary School
- Melinda Roulier, Mountain Road Elementary School
- Dr. Benjamin Lester, Teasley Middle School
Enrollment information: Parents can find all the forms needed for the enrollment process on the district's website.
School lunch menus: The cost of lunch is $2.35 for elementary students and $2.60 for middle and high school students. Breakfast costs $1.50 for all students. Full lunch menus can be found here.
The district will have a new online payment system for lunch accounts, which can be found here.
School budget: The Cherokee County School Board approved a $382 million operating budget for the 2017-18 school year. Visit here for more financial facts.
2017 school tax millage rate: 19.45 mills
Graduation rate: 84.7 percent based on 2016 four-year cohort graduation rate
You can find critical information about your school's test results, safety ranking and teachers at AJC's Ultimate Atlanta School Guide.
In other back-to-school news:
