Greater Atlanta Christian Schools

I recently read some of the negative reviews about GAC and felt that I needed to offer a different perspective. Our oldest son started GAC in K6 and will be going into 5^th grade next year. Our youngest started in K5 and will be going into 3^rd grade next year. For our time there, our family at GAC has been as near and dear to us as our home church family. The teachers that our boys have been blessed to have were the perfect match for their personalities and strengths/​challenges.
Both boys were diagnosed with dyslexia 2 years ago and the Orton-​Gillingham based academic support program has been fantastic! I know that both are a bit self-​conscious reading aloud but we had some daddy-​son time last night (Mom was out with some neighborhood GAC moms) and I asked both to read a chapter of their current summer-​reading book to me. I was blown away! Their progress since just the first of the year is stark and I know that is due to the support they have received this year from their teachers (and my wife’s activity as well).
Granted that we have not seen life in middle or high school and some of the challenges that others experienced may exist on some scale but I keep meeting so many neat kids that are near graduation that have nothing but positive things to say about their experience. I sincerely believe that the staff will work with us to overcome the challenges that we face when/​should they arise.
Is GAC perfect? Probably not. The community is made up of flawed human beings who are absolutely capable of making mistakes. But I sincerely believe that they are acting and making choices that is a continuation of the work my wife and I are doing to raise our children to «grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and all people.»
As far as the power lines, I will have to look for those. I don’t recall seeing any but looking at Google Earth there might be some at the back of campus near the baseball field. If so, that wouldn’t be anywhere near the Village, but again, I will have to look when school starts back.
And for the sake of a little fun… even though my favorite colors are orange and blue, black and red attire is now in my closet as well. Go Spartans!

I experienced a few concerns while our son was there. I feel I can speak about them now without fear of retribution because he just graduated.
Retribution is a big deal with the cast of characters who run GAC. Say something out of line and the high school enforcer, will do his best to joyfully make your child’s life an embarrassing, living hell. Children are regularly called in and grilled in his office for extended periods of time until they crack. It is like he watched too much «The first 48». He is not a Dr., but a JD who wants to be called Dr. and that should give you and idea of what kind of person he is. Have you ever known an attorney who wanted to be called Dr.
Understand that your child will have absolutely no rights of privacy should you choose to send them to GACS. Do not allow your child to bring a phone on campus. I have heard of phones being confiscated on a regular basis. They are searched (texts and pics) and used against students and all their contacts.
Outside of personalities and power mongering I have an issue with the school being built under extremely high voltage power lines. I get it… the land was cheap, but really, what were the founders of GAC thinking? My son went there for high school so I was not that worried but there are concerns from the medical community about high voltage power lines and exposure to small children. The power lines are almost directly over the children’s village section of campus. I would not allow my small child to stay there 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. Do your homework!
Our son has moved on now with a few bad memories caused by administrators but he has made lifelong friendships with other children who were in the same boat. For $ 22k per year you need to expect more from the board and people who run this place.

I agree completely with Janie K’s comments… we were there from K5 — 5^th grade… and the atmosphere changed dramatically during that period of time… the bullying is horrible, the academics are mediocre at best… it was a sad process to leave because there were so many good things about the school… but it failed us in many ways… and their priorities changed so much. So many of the wonderful people who were there have left as well… we are at another private school and couldn’t be happier!

Greater Atlanta Christian School has been a great encouragement and blessing to our family! With three sons in the school, I have had ample experience to observe the excellent leadership of school and the supportive and challenging academic environment and the extraordinary athletic program not to mention the overall emphasis on personal and spiritual development and service to the community.

Don’t be fooled by all the Bible verses all over campus, this is not a Christian environment. Lots of bullies and cliques… both the students AND the mothers! Don’t be fooled by the big flashy buildings all over campus, most of the teachers inside those buildings are subpar. They are far more concerned with appearances than with education. My oldest daughter went there K-​5^th grade and my youngest daughter went there K-​1^st grade. I truly regret leaving my kids at GACS as long as we did. Thankfully they are now flourshing at another private school.

I waited to write a review until well after my daughter had graduated in 2012 in order to gain some objectivity. I do not recommend GAC. While there are a few good teachers, there are others who are too old and too fundamentalist to be teaching in modern times. In biology, they don’t teach evolution! They really do not seem to teach HOW to think rather WHAT to think and the absence of critical thinking shows, as many of the teachers and administrators are graduates. The administration is dismissive when issues arise, and we are not the type of family to complain about every little thing – I only went to the administration when some bullying got out of hand and it was dismissed – the administration seemed to blame the victim, my daughter! We used outside resources to help her and she handled the situation maturely, but the school was no help. This school is too small, too small minded, and they did not go out of their way to welcome us or help us when we needed it. They give Christians a bad name. On a positive note, the graduation ceremony was beautiful and very well organized, and the campus is very nice from an aesthetic point of view.