The Long and Winding Road Metro Atlanta private schools provide a unique opportunity for K-12 “lifers” By Amy Meadows
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hey’re often called “lifers,” those students who remain at the same school for the entirety of their primary and secondary academic careers. They move across grade-level divisions like any other student, mastering the elementary years before progressing into middle school and ultimately advancing up through the high school grades. However, their overall experience has a distinctive spin, as they receive their whole education from one independent institution over the course of 13 continuous years. According to students, 4 KNOWAtlanta
parents, faculty and administrators at many of metro Atlanta’s private schools, this type of K-12 experience offers an array of benefits. Here, KNOWAtlanta explores this unique educational opportunity and provides a look at its particular advantages.
Seamless Transitions Typically, private schools offer a college prep-based curriculum to help prepare students for the next stage of their academic careers. For schools that offer the entire kindergarten through 12th grade experi-
ence, that curriculum is both comprehensive and foundational, as each grade builds upon the previous year’s specific teachings within the classroom. This provides lifers with an unprecedented level of academic consistency, which is especially apparent as children not only transition from grade to grade, but also as they move between what are usually referred to as the lower, middle and upper divisions. “Jumping from school to school can create holes, especially in math and language. Staying with one curriculum ensures that
