It’s Back to the Books for Many Guilford Co. students

The 2023-2024 academic year for Early and Middle College high schools and extended-year elementary schools in the Guilford County Schools (GCS) began this week.

Eager students arrived on campuses where they were greeted by administrators and staff. The first day of school on the traditional calendar is August 28.

Acknowledging the new school year, GCS Superintendent Whitney Oakley greeted students at The Academy at Smith and Brooks Global. She plans other campus visits throughout the month.

GCS is the third-largest district in North Carolina, serving nearly 70,000 students across 126 schools in urban, suburban and rural areas. As a larger district, GCS’s academic offerings are greater than smaller districts, charter and private schools. The district’s 48 magnet and choice schools provide 66 programs, from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to performing or visual arts, advanced academics, Spanish immersion, Montessori, health sciences or aviation.
Additionally, GCS offers 260 Career and Technical Education courses in 49 schools, including programs in culinary arts, business, nursing, computers, and automotive technology, among others.

High schools across GCS offer more than 30 Advanced Placement courses. These college-level classes prepare students for the higher-level courses they will take after graduating from high school and moving on to colleges and universities.

GCS also offers the prestigious International Baccalaureate program at four high schools – and the program is open to all students who qualify. Only a small number of districts in North Carolina are authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer the Diploma Programme, and GCS has been a part of it since 1996.

Nine early and middle colleges allow students to earn up to two years of college credit while attending high school.

Welcome back students, teachers, principals and staff!