Grady High School

I attended Grady for two years (junior and senior) after attending a DeKalb County high school for two years, and the change was unbelievable. Granted, I took 10 AP classes during my time at Grady so my view is not holistic, but I absolutely loved my two years at GHS. I had many, many amazing teachers (notably Nichols for AP Calculus and Pope for AP US History), and I was heavily involved with the school's theatre and chorus programs. Grady students are very passionate about their interests (of which there are many), and the growing culture of academic competitiveness did wonders for my grades. That being said, the administration is kind of a mess and the school is not without its problems, but if you don't go looking for trouble you probably won't run into any.

This intown high school in Atlanta is diverse, offers high rigor to students, and has actively engagement parents. Grady HS is GREAT!

I would not say that Grady is "great" at all... Average is the best that I can give it. Grady is, in no uncertain terms, a mess... Highly disorganized, many of the school decisions fall to the students and parents: administrative decisions that are up to the school. The way in which students mill around, unsupervised... The sense of entitlement that is palpable in the students. The disparity in rigor between subjects. Granted, the college-prep program is pretty good but then again that's a common feature in most high schools today. Then there is the elective system which places emphasis away from the time-tested most important subjects (math, science, social studies and language arts). The pros and cons equal out in a stew of dynamic equilibrium: average.

Our son has truly blossomed at Grady. There are incredible pathway choices where a student can get a taste of multiple possible career paths before even entering college, such as business, law, engineering, medicine, fashion, journalism, Audio/Video, and more. See http://www.atlanta.k12.ga.us/Page/44842 . Strong base curriculum, especially if in AP or Honors classes. Very diverse student body and the hip Midtown setting gives kids lots to do after school within walking distance, such as the Atlanta BeltLine and Ponce City Market.