HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL

A 2001 Georgia School of Excellence

SCHOOL PROFILE FOR 2001-2002

Established in 1947 and located in Midtown Atlanta, Henry W. Grady High School combines a proud past and a promising future. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation in 1999 ranked Grady the best high school in the Atlanta Public Schools, and U.S. News and World Report (January 18, 1999) identified Grady as one of the outstanding high schools in the entire nation. Grady was also named a Georgia School of Excellence in 1991 and 1995, and its Magnet School of Communication has consistently produced award-winning work in print and broadcast journalism, forensics, publishing, and the fine arts over the past 20 years. As a result of its reputation, Grady has hosted state and national educational forums, including a field hearing of the National Education Goals Panel in 2000. Grady's 2001 average SAT score was the fifth highest of 115 public schools in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The Grady community values the racial, economic, and academic differences within its population. A hallmark of the school is its genuine acceptance of diversity. Committed to excellence in public education for all students, Grady is an inner-city public school that works.

Type: Public, grades 9-12
Enrollment: 917; Class of 2002: 143

Organization: Semester (seven classes per term, 2001-2002, six classes per term prior to the implementation of block scheduling in 2001-2002)

CEEB-ACT Code Number: 110170

Accreditation and classification: Grady is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. The school is a member of the Georgia High School Association and competes in interscholastic events with other high schools in Region 5-AA.

Ethnic demographics: Students: 63% African-American, 33% Caucasian, 4% other; faculty: 50% African-American, 39% Caucasian, 11% other.

Location: Grady is located in the midtown area of Atlanta, a city of 430,000 people in a metropolitan area of approximately 4.1 million residents. The school is a part of the Atlanta Public Schools.

Numerous awards mark the high standards of the magnet. In 2001, the Georgia Scholastic Press Association awarded the Southerner, Grady's newspaper, The Unmasking, Grady's literary magazine, and GNN, Grady's broadcast program, "General Excellence," or best in the state for those fields. Grady's publications and GNN have a long tradition of award recognition, as well. In the past several years, Grady has consistently won the GSPA's prestigious All Georgia Trophy, and for two consecutive years, the National Scholastic Press Association awarded the Southerner the celebrated Newspaper Pacemaker Award. Grady has also built one of the largest and most successful forensics teams (debate, speech, drama) in the state and has represented Georgia in national competitions since 1989. The Grady Mock Trial Team won the state competition and placed 13th in the nation in 2000, and in 2001 won its regional competition for the third straight year. In addition, commentaries by Grady students are heard often on public broadcasting through Youth Radio, a California-based program. Grady is one of six Youth Radio national network sites

In the Class of 2001, 121 students graduated, 71 entered college and 3 entered the Armed Forces.