Clayton County Schools Calendar 2026–2027

Clayton County Schools enrolled 49,793 K–12 students in a large network of address-assigned elementary, middle and comprehensive high schools. Even the neighborhood side is not completely uniform. Kemp and Mount Zion divide their younger students between primary campuses for the earliest grades and upper-elementary campuses for grades three through five, while most other areas use a single PK–5 school.

The choice layer includes several distinct admission and instructional models hidden behind similar “academy” labels. Elite Scholars Academy serves grades six through twelve through selective admission. Martha Ellen Stilwell School for the Performing Arts uses a specialized arts route. Unidos Dual Language School and Kay R. Pace Elementary School of the Arts operate at the elementary level, while the Utopian Academy charter network has separate elementary, middle and high schools. These are not additional neighborhood zones interchangeable with Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lovejoy, Morrow or the district’s other comprehensive clusters.

Clayton’s application processes also differ by program. Depending on the setting, entry can involve grade-specific eligibility, a lottery, an interview or an audition. A student’s residential school remains a separate fact from an offer at a countywide or charter option. The district can only be understood by distinguishing three questions: where the address assigns the child, whether the local elementary route is split by age, and whether the student has secured admission to a different instructional pathway.