First look inside the new Atlanta SMART Academy

ATLANTA - It’s a first-of-its-kind middle school in Southwest Atlanta, serving students with a tuition-free performing arts-based education.  And this morning, Good Day Atlanta got a first look inside Atlanta SMART Academy, just days before classes begin for the year.

Atlanta SMART Academy is a new performing arts public charter middle school serving 5th through 8th graders (8th grade will be added for the 2022-2023 school year) in Southwest Atlanta and is currently one of only four performing arts middle schools in the state.  

The school’s curriculum is built around science, math, and the arts — and the idea is to not only educate students but to create "solutionists." In a video posted on the school’s website, board chair Adam Tolliver explains it like this: "Through project-based learning, our students are going to have the opportunity to have real problems that they’re working together to solve, applying the knowledge that they’re learning in their classes."

Being a performing arts school, there’s a strong emphasis on dance, theatre, and music — something we saw firsthand during our morning tour of the school.  

For more information on Atlanta SMART Academy (located at 2636 M.L.K. Jr Dr. SW in Atlanta), click over to the school’s website here.  And click the video player for a look inside Atlanta SMART Academy, which will open for classes on Monday.

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