NorthFulton.comKathleen Sturgeon
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A sixth high school will soon be added to the Forsyth County School System after the county closed on a deal for land Nov. 7.
The sixth high school will be located on a 118.45-acre tract located off Fowler Road with frontage on both Fowler and Mullinax roads.
The five current high schools in Forsyth County are Lambert HS, North Forsyth HS, West Forsyth HS, Forsyth Central HS and South Forsyth HS.
Jennifer Caracciolo, director of public information and communications for Forsyth County Schools, said much has to be considered when deciding where to put a new school.
"Since this school is planned to relieve West Forsyth HS and South Forsyth HS, we were looking for a large tract of land between these two school sites," said Caracciolo. "This new high school could also impact other school attendance lines. Redistricting traditionally occurs one year prior to the school's opening, so for this, it would be 2017."
The purchase will include an exchange of 1.602 acres from the Forsyth County government for right-of-way against 1.278 acres acquired for the Mullinax Road Improvement Project.
The total cost of the new school will be $12,792,816, which is funded by the 2014 bond.
"A new high school is being built to relieve overcrowding at our southern high schools," said Caracciolo. "This land purchase, as well as the funds to construct the school, was a component of the 2014 bond."
Caracciolo said that enrollment numbers are a big factor that the county considers when planning a new school. The FCS website lists school capacities and projected enrollment by school.
"Some of the school capacities on this list will change over the next four years as we expand a number of our schools and also a part of the bond package," said Caracciolo.
The name of the new high school will be decided in 2015 and it will be similar in design to Lambert HS and West Forsyth HS. Redistricting will begin in 2017.
To learn more about the new school or to see the list, visit www.forsyth.k12.ga.us.
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 9:29 AM
