The Road to Graduation
It is always a proud moment when the evening of 8th-grade graduation arrives. At the start of the year, the road to graduation can appear long but with a little help, it does not need to be arduous!
In a typical year 75% of our student graduate from ADS and attend St Pius X High School. The remaining 25% typically attend excellent local High Schools such as Lakeside. There are a range of other options in our area to consider whether you are looking for a private or public school, parochial or not.
Key Dates
November 5th – St Pius X open house
November 8th – GAC open house
December 4th – Marist open house
January 23rd – Deadline for Marist 9th grade applications (apply early!)
January 29th – Deadline for St Pius X 9th grade applications (apply early!)
February 2nd – Heritage Prep shadow day
March 29th – Heritage Prep decision letters mailed
April 1st – AAAIS common notification of place date
April 11th – St Pius X/Heritage Prep deposit to confirm place deadline
April 13th – Marist deposit to confirm place deadline
April 14th – AIS deposit to confirm place deadline
Please note that non-AAAIS schools e.g. GAC and Heritage Prep run rolling admissions. ADS is an AAAIS school along with St Pius X, Marist and AIS.
Many schools offer tours on request.
Schools Profiles
St. Pius X, an archdiocesan high school, provides a college preparatory education for the formation of the mind, body and spirit of each student in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Consistently rated a top Atlanta Catholic high school, Marist School is a dynamic, college-preparatory community of 1,100 boys and girls in grades 7 through 12, representing 80 zip codes across the metro area. The school offers a unique blend of traditional classroom instruction and experiential learning that equips students with the skills to thrive in college and beyond.
The mission at Atlanta International School is to develop courageous leaders who shape their world for the better. At our core is creating a joy of learning and purposeful effort, and mutual respect and understanding, in an inclusive and intercultural community.
Heritage is a classical Christ-centered school that partners with like-minded families who share the same values and goals.Their purpose is to provide an academically rigorous educational experience designed to help students know, love, and practice that which is true, good, and excellent and to prepare them to live purposefully and intelligently in the service of God and man.
Greater Atlanta Christian is a leading independent school in Georgia ranked at the top of the state for teaching quality, arts, and athletics. They lead Atlanta independent schools for AP curriculum options and exam pass rates, foreign language offerings, and STEM courses.
Public
Apply for Charter/Magnet Schools in Dekalb county
Lakeside High School is one of many schools in the Dekalb County School District. DeKalb County School District is Georgia’s third largest school system. Under the leadership of Superintendent Mrs. Cheryl Watson-Harris and the Board of Education, we prepare students for college and careers through a laser focus on rigorous, relevant classroom instruction related to each child’s needs.
Druid Hills High School is one of the oldest schools in the DeKalb County School District; it was founded in the Fishburne Building on the Emory University campus in 1914 as a school for faculty’s children. In 1928 the K-11 school was moved to its current site at 1798 Haygood Drive.
Decatur High School is a comprehensive public high school located in Decatur, Georgia, an urban community of 20,000 residents situated approximately five miles east of downtown Atlanta. Decatur is part of an independent school district within DeKalb County and serves about 5000 students.
Shadow Days
Most schools run a series of shadow days to give an experience and feel of the school. It is well worth booking on 2-3. More information here:
SSAT
Private schools typically require applicants to complete the SSAT. This can be done at a number of High Schools and online.
This year ADS will be offering SSAT prep from the 4th October with the idea of sitting a December exam.
You can register for the SSAT here.
We recommend the following SSAT dates and centres:
GAC – October 14th, November 11th, and December 9th
Holy Innocents Episcopal School – October 1st, October 15th
Marist – January 6, 2024
St Pius X – December 9th
The cost of the tests depends on accommodations and location, approximately $200 each time you sit the exam. There isn’t a limit to how many time you can sit it.
Applications
Please note schools typically charge $100 per application and they will also request references from ADS. This is usually from academic members of staff (homeroom teacher plus ELA & Math) plus a member of the administration. They will also request grade transcripts for Middle School.
Applications typically open in late September/early October.
Private schools require you to have a Ravenna account to apply.
Graduation Day
This year’s graduation is May 22, 2024, in the Cathedral. The event starts at 5:30pm with photos before and a reception following the event organized by the graduating class parents. The 8th grade students will also have a celebration day at Stone Mountain as well as the chance to wear their new school spirit wear in the final week and get yearbooks signed. Cap and gowns are provided by the school.