Atlanta, GA – The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) has just announced three finalists for the 2015 GCSA Charter School of the Year. The schools are:

Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School (An Atlanta Public School serving grades K-8);

DeKalb PATH Academy (A DeKalb County Public School serving grades 5-8);

Mountain Education Center (A State Charter School serving HS students at risk in Elbert, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, and White County School Systems)

The winning school will be announced on January 30th at the 2015 GCSA Charter Schools Leadership Conference to be held at Busbee Center of Gwinnett Technical College, Lawrenceville, GA. The winning school receives a $50,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation.

The annual award was established to honor excellence in education among Georgia’s public charter schools. This is the fourth year of this partnership initiative between The Coca-Cola Foundation and GCSA. The 2014 winning school was Brighten Academy in Douglasville, GA. Other past recipients are Amana Academy, and Charles R. Drew Charter School.

Tony Roberts, President & CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association expressed his gratitude to The Coca-Cola Foundation for its continuing investment in educational excellence though the grant. “This generous award from The Coca-Cola Foundation reflects their understanding that a great school can be a game-changer in a child’s life. The three finalists for this substantial $50,000 grant have all demonstrated that charter schools are a proven pathway to excellence in education. All are deserving, though only one can win each year.”

GCSA charter schools applying for the award must complete a rigorous application that is reviewed by an independent panel of evaluators from the education and nonprofit sectors. Schools must be in existence for at least five years and must demonstrate academic excellence as measured by standardized achievement tests, strong governance, operational sustainability and sound fiscal practices.

Article submitted by: Nina Rubin, Director of Communications, Georgia Charter Schools Association