1. School Demographics
North Paulding's profile began in 2007, its inaugural year. NPHS was slated to open in August 2008; but, due to overcrowding at East Paulding High School, its opening was pushed up a year to August 2007. Because our building was not completed until August 2008, the school shared facilities with Sammy McClure Middle School and moved into its own building at the beginning of the 2008 school year. North Paulding serves students in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
NPHS is located in northwest Paulding County, a rapidly growing suburb of Atlanta. The Paulding County School District consists of five high schools, eight middle schools, twenty elementary schools, and two central office facilities. Paulding County serves 28,000+ students in grades K-12. The North Paulding High School district consists of primarily single family homes that are generally classified as middle class neighborhoods. Family make-up of the NPHS school district is of single parent, two parent, and extended family homes. Many of our parents work in Atlanta or other surrounding areas.
School Personnel Characteristics
NPHS has a unique staff composed of educators from different backgrounds and origins. When the school opened, the administration was able to hand-pick staff for the school. Therefore, teachers from all of the Paulding County schools and all areas of the United States have been carefully recruited to NPHS to give our students the best available staff. In an area that until recently has been considered rural, teacher diversity is an important benefit to our students. The average teaching experience of the staff ranges from 1-25 years, with most staff members having over 10 years teaching experience.
NPHS teachers believe that education is a life-long process, and teachers demonstrate this to students by attending local universities for advanced degrees. Approximately 45% of our staff holds advanced degrees.
Student Characteristics
NPHS opened its doors with a student population of 416 students who were classified as first time 9th graders. The population grew to 830 students in the 2008-2009 school year with both 9th and 10th graders. The population of NPHS reflects the demographic makeup of the community.
2. School Curriculum and Instructional Services
At NPHS, our primary focus is student success. We want our students to have every opportunity to graduate and become successful productive members of a global society. When making curriculum decisions, GPS (Georgia Performance Standards) and needs-based instructional strategies guide our direction. Our first line of business when opening was to develop systems for prevention and intervention, to establish collaborative planning focused on learning, and to use data for continuous school improvement.
Paulding County high schools follow a hybrid schedule (where students have a mix of block and traditional year-long courses)with seven periods lasting approximately one hour each for a traditional course or approximately 2 hours for a block course. A student's GPA is calculated on a numerical scale. In addition to completing the required course work for an individual program of study, a minimum of 22 units for Seniors and 23 units for Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors is required for earning a diploma. Diploma choices are available to Senior students. Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors will all be eligible to earn a diploma without any distinction with type.
Advanced Placed (AP) courses are offered in Human Geography, World History, US History, Government, Economics, Physics, Calculus, Literature, Language, Psychology and Chemistry. Honors courses are offered in all subject areas. Currently, 10 points are being added to the final grade of all AP courses successfully completed, and 5 points are being added to the final grade of all honors courses successfully completed.
North Paulding High School currently offers a variety of programs in our Career and Technology Department. Our programs of study include: Business Education, Marketing Education, Construction Education, Automotive Technology Education, Engineering, Drafting and Design, Culinary Arts, Public Safety, Healthcare Science, and Cosmetology.
Student Support Services
NPHS offers a variety of support services to address the broad range of students' needs.
ESEP: The Exceptional Student Education Program (ESEP) serves students with disabilities in resource, collaborative, and consultative environments. The department includes seven interrelated teachers, one MI/MO teacher, one SID/PID teacher, one full-time lead teacher, and five full-time paraprofessionals to support the staff.
SBIT: The School Based Intervention Team supports our Response to Intervention (RTI) and Student Support Team (SST). This is a means to provide an added measure of support to ensure the success of all students in the regular classroom.
Counseling: NPHS has four full-time counselors on staff. The Counseling Department is a service division of the total school program providing academic, vocational and personal assistance to students. Our counselors act as resource persons, coordinators, consultants, group leaders, and teachers. NPHS's counselors works closely with students to ensure student success, with parents as their students are making the transition to high school, and finally with outside agencies to provide a variety of services to students.
Parents: Parental involvement is a vital part of our school. A variety of activities and opportunities are offered through which parents play an active role in their student's education. Our PTSA was chartered May 2007 and instantly became focused on helping the school establish excellence. The PTSA has plans to help meet the schools needs in its Reflections program, Red Ribbon Week activities, supporting the school's nurse/health program, test proctor training, and assisting with health and career fairs.
Extracurricular Activities: The students at NPHS are focused on becoming well-rounded individuals by participating in a vast array of extra-curricular activities. Our students have a student government association. We offer a full athletic venue including football, softball, volleyball, wrestling, basketball, soccer, baseball, and track and field. Our students also are served by student organizations including Chorus, Band, Beta, Foreign Language Club, FBLA, FCS, NHS, FBLA, DECA, HOSA, FCCSA, Skills USA, and 4-H organizations.
Community Involvement: The staff of NPHS feels that part of our mission is to support our community. We serve as models for our students by participating in and supporting the Special Olympics Competitions, Relay for Life activities, and the United Way. Our students are participating in activities for cancer awareness through the Rally Foundation and by sponsoring Breast Cancer Walk participants.
School Business Partners: We have established Partners in Education with Publix, Target, Rodney's Bar-b-que, WellStar, Beef O'Brady's and Colonial Bank. Our Athletic Booster Club has also partnered with many businesses and organizations throughout our community, including an affiliation with the Cedarcrest Business Association.
3. School Standardized Testing and Assessment Program
Georgia End of Course Tests (EOCTs) are required in eight courses: Algebra I, Geometry, US History, Economics, 9th Literature, American Literature, Physical Science, and Biology. EOCT counts 15% of the student's final grade in these courses. Students are required to pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests in Writing, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and English/Language Arts to receive a Georgia diploma and participate in graduation ceremonies.
4. Community Demographics
Paulding is a fast-growing county on the outskirts of the metro-Atlanta area with a population of 112,411 reported in 2005. It is the fifteenth fastest growing county in the United States. The median household income in Paulding County is $56,998 with a per capita income of $23,536. Unemployment in Paulding is currently at a rate of only 4.3%. With over 3,000 employees, the school system is the largest employer in the county.
The county benefits from quick access to the downtown Atlanta area, major shopping malls, and Hartsfield/Jackson International Airport within an hour. The varied landscape, outstanding schools, and warm, friendly atmosphere combined with easy access to the metro Atlanta area make Paulding County an attractive community in which to live.
Thirty schools make up the Paulding County School System (seventeen elementary, seven middle, five high schools, and one alternative school). There are approximately 35,925 students enrolled in grades K-12, representing a 57.6% student population growth over the past six years.
Public involvement plays an important role in the school system's progress. A variety of groups including students, staff, and the community combine their input to make the best decisions for the students of the Paulding County School District. Groups such as Communities-in-Schools Project, Curriculum Project Committees, Parent Teacher Association, Advisory Council, Student Advisory Council, Citizen Advisory Council, Local School Council, and Teacher Advisory Council all provide appropriate forums for input. Additionally, Paulding's association with the Georgia Partners for Excellence in Education, a statewide effort of civic-minded volunteers, helps involve business and industry in the education process of the community's children.
5. Future Trends and Changes
Continued growth is anticipated in the Paulding County area. We opened a new elementary school on our campus August 2008. Residential and Commercial growth is also anticipated in the NPHS school district, as well as a community park opening within 3 miles of the school that will open in the summer of 2008. The staff at NPHS realizes we must continue to shape our curriculum and school programs to best serve our students in a manner that will benefit society. To meet this need, NPHS will use survey data to be collected from our community and students as well as testing data that will be completed this school year.
