ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools are in the process of closing or repurposing 16 schools in the district. But at least one neighborhood school is upgrading.
Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach got a look at the newly renovated L.P. Miles Elementary School in southwest Atlanta.
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The building is nearly 60 years old, but you probably wouldn’t realize it now by looking around. Students said it looks much better and brighter.
“Our students love it, staff love it, families love it,” Principal Thalise Perry said.
The Tigers are back in their building after spending the last school year at a temporary campus during construction. Students held cut the ribbon on Friday before districts leaders were given the tour.
The ceremony at Miles Elementary comes with APS in the middle of its “Forward 2040″ plan to consolidate and close or repurpose more than a dozen schools. Most of them are elementaries.
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But the plan also includes infrastructure improvements and modernization at the schools that are staying open. Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson calls Miles Elementary a good example of that investment.
“This is what it will look like. Our commitment is students will be in exceptional learning environments, they’ll have excellent teachers, they’ll have great resources,” Johnson said.
That includes new technology options and flexible seating in the classrooms.
“So our students feel very important. They can have small group instruction. They can interact better with the teachers. They can maneuver themselves through the classroom. It’s just an awesome environment here at Miles,” Perry said.
The total price tag for the renovations was $11.8 million, paid for with the extra penny sales tax for education that was originally passed back in 2022.
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