The State of Our Schools

The State of Our Schools

Once the magnet that fueled Gwinnett’s growth, the Gwinnett County Public School System is working to get back on an even keel. Once the magnet that fueled Gwinnett’s growth, the Gwinnett County Public School System is working to get back on an even keel. In 2014, Gwinnett County Public Schools won its second Broad Prize for Urban Education.

The prestigious honor, awarded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, recognized public school systems which had made great strides in improving the scholastic performance of low-income and minority students. Miami, New York, Boston and Charlotte had all put the Broad feather in their caps, but none save for Gwinnett and Houston, Texas, had won it twice. In the years since, the system — along with the county — has changed dramatically. A county already teeming with people got a lot more populous — and a lot more diverse. Changing demographics led to a shift in the political wind. In the past several years, government entities from city councils to the county commission to the board of education all flipped from Republican to Democratic control