School Board Votes to Renew Contract for Norcross Charter

Gwinnett County Schools voted to renew the contract of New Life Academy of Excellence, a charter school with campuses in Duluth and Norcross, through June of 2017. The renewal contract will now be sent on to the Georgia Dept. of Education for approval. The current contract was set to expire on June 30, 2012. 

The application was submitted to the Gwinnett County School Board last Thurs., Oct. 20.

Gwinnett Schools said that in petitioning for renewal, the school met all of the requirements of the Georgia Charter School Act. The board did say their recommendation came with two contingencies, according to Jorge Quintana, spokesperson for Gwinnett Schools.

They asked that the school submit a plan and timetable for accelerated math options for 7th and 8th graders and that they increase their insurance policy.

The Norcross campus is located at 5139 Campus Dr., near Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Reps Miller Road, with the Duluth campus is at 4725 River Green Pkwy. 

The school’s mission is to “provide a safe, positive environment that encourages independent and creative thinking for students through an integrated curriculum,” according to the school’s website.

New Life Academy petitioned to become a charter in 2006 and opened its doors in 2007. The school has added a grade-level per year since then. Currently, the school serves students up to grade 7. The charter contract was approved for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.

The projected enrollment in the application was between 584 and 1000 students.  The annual reported stated that in 2010 the number of students enrolled was about 400, so they appear to anticipate growth.

The school has a unique bilingual Chinese language curriculum. According to their annual report, the school has the highest percentage of student meeting AYP for mathematics when compared to area elementary schools. The report stated that the school came in second on the reading/language arts component compared to local elementary school, with 97.4 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations. 

In addition, New Life received the 2010 Platinum Award winner for Greatest Gains in Student Achievement and a 2010 Bronze Award winner for Outstanding Student Achievement.

Editor's note: Norcross Patch originally identified Linda Mitchell as an employee of the charter. She actually works for the school district.