Enrollment has more than doubled at Cornerstone Christian Academy during the tenure of headmaster Colin Creel.
The K-8 school, which is the AJC’s pick as the top small workplace for 2023, has seen enrollment jump from 181 students to 460 since Creel arrived in the summer of 2011. It also no longer runs out of rental property and has space of its own in Peachtree Corners.
“Demand for faith-based education is at an all-time high,” Creel said. “Having said that, we always do our best to be good stewards of everything entrusted to us. We believe we offer a fantastic ‘value’ to our families.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Annual tuition for the upcoming school year is $15,778 for students in kindergarten to fourth grade. The cost for sending students in grades five through seven is $16,902, while tuition for eighth grade is $18,559, which includes a trip to Washington D.C.
Slow but steady enrollment growth has been a deliberate part of the school’s leadership team’s strategy, Creel said.
Leaders want to ensure the school is true to its mission of providing quality education and helping students develop into individuals who follow Christ, embrace biblical truth and live lives that glorify God, he said.
Involved parents play a big role in that, Creel said.
The founding of Cornerstone Christian Academy can be traced to 1998 when members of Peachtree Corners Baptist Church in Gwinnett County wanted a Christ-centered education for their children. Three years later, they opened a school with eight students and one teacher in leased facilities.
In 2016, as the school kept growing, the decision was made to move from leasing to buying property. In February of that year, Cornerstone purchased all 11 acres it had leased for $7,000,000 through a tax-exempt bond.
In recent years, the academy has resolved one of its biggest challenges: operating from what looked like a converted office park. In the spring of 2021, Cornerstone tore down its middle office building and created an array of unique spaces. The academy now has a campus mall, outdoor stage, plaza entry, Lower School with covered parking for carpool, a Middle School Plaza with outdoor seating, concrete foosball and ping pong. An update entry for the Lower School helped transform the facility, as well as the student body.
“My approach has always been to identify growth opportunities, cast the vision and assemble the appropriate team to accomplish our goals,” Creel said.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
He said staff turnover at the school is low, and support for teachers is high among administrators and parents.
Teachers are encouraged to take part in staff development, and the administration puts the necessary resources into making it meaningful.
Teachers have catered lunches on “thankful Thursdays,” access to snack carts, and are treated to special breakfasts, lunches and sweet treats by the parent organization.
Staff members are reimbursed to attend alumni performances and athletic events with the goal of establishing lifelong connections, Creel said.
“Ultimately, we are all in the kid business, so anything we can do to help facilitate those connections is important to us,” he said.
Cornerstone Christian Academy
Founded: as Peachtree Corners Baptist School in August 2001 with eight students.
Current enrollment: 460
Headmaster: Colin Creel
Tuition: for the upcoming school year is $15,778 for students in kindergarten to fourth grade. The cost for sending students in grades five through seven is $16,902, while tuition for eighth grade is $18,559, which includes a trip to Washington D.C. Tuition covers the expense of a child’s education at Cornerstone, with the exception of school uniforms, occasional program fees and school lunches.
Ranked by the AJC as one of metro Atlanta’s Top Workplaces three times.
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