Two New Charter Schools Approved for Gwinnett, Northwest Georgia

ATLANTA, GA – The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) Board of Commissioners voted to approve charter petitions for two new start-up charter schools at its board meeting on July 30, 2025. Both schools are scheduled to open in Fall 2026.

The Meliora School will become the first 6th-12th grade charter school in Gwinnett County, offering students an individualized mastery-based education that emphasizes project-based learning in entrepreneurship and computer science. 

Dr. Christine Keck, founding leader, expressed her gratitude for the approval. “I’m incredibly grateful to the State Charter Schools Commission for their partnership with the families of Gwinnett County, who believed in this vision from the very beginning. This approval is a reflection of your voices, your dreams, and your unwavering commitment to your children’s future.”

Keck added, “The Meliora School will be a place where students from across Gwinnett can discover their strengths, take ownership of their learning, and build lives of purpose together. Together, we are always in pursuit of better.” Dr. Keck previously served in various roles as an educator, including serving on the administrative team for another state charter school. 

Northwest Georgia Charter Academy will become a community-focused K-12 school in Cave Spring and the first charter school in the region. The petition follows the closure of Cave Spring Elementary School and years of planning by the community. Students will learn through hands-on, project-based learning, including financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and civic responsibility.

Judy Taylor, Founder and President, has pursued the creation of a charter school for Cave Spring since the local elementary school’s closing. “This authorization will forever change the landscape of public education in our communities. It is a historic milestone and an honor for the small team that has worked tirelessly over the last four years to bring this vision to life.” 

“We look forward to working with the SCSC staff to open a high-quality charter school to serve students who live in Floyd and Polk counties beginning in August 2026,” continued Taylor.

Commissioner Mike Dudgeon, Chairman of the SCSC, supported the unanimous vote for approval of the two petitions. “The SCSC has had a goal of expanding charter access to more places in Georgia, and we are excited to approve great schools going both into Gwinnett County and the northwest area of the state,” said Dudgeon.

The SCSC received 14 start-up charter school petitions in FY2025, and nine petitioners participated in capacity interviews. The full petition review process includes a staff review of the petition for legal compliance and an in-depth panel interview with staff, commissioners, and experts in the fields of finance, education, law, and policy. SCSC staff, with the feedback from panelists, make recommendations to the SCSC Board of Commissioners to approve or deny petitions, and commissioners vote upon those recommendations.

“We are excited to welcome these two new schools to the Georgia charter school community. Both schools are led by dynamic, experienced leaders and supported by well-rounded, exceptional boards that will help guide their success. Most importantly, they are locating in communities with a real need for high-quality public education options,” said Donovan Head, Executive Director of the SCSC.

Head continued, “I look forward to seeing these schools, and the hundreds of students they serve, thrive and become beacons of hope and opportunity in the communities they will call home.”

The SCSC provides support to newly-authorized charter schools, including technical support from internal and external experts. In addition, these schools are eligible to apply for subgrants up to $1.5 million and participation in the New School Leader Fellowship Program, both funded by Georgia’s federal Charter School Program (CSP) State Entity Grant.

Four previously-approved new charter schools are opening in August – Cherokee Classical Academy (Canton), Four Points Preparatory Academy (Braselton), Movement School South Fulton (Atlanta), and The Simple Vue Academy (Douglasville). This brings the total number of operational state charter schools to 50. With these new approvals, the SCSC expects to have 56 state charter schools in Fall 2026, including four previously-approved schools - Dominion Purpose Academy (Columbus), Fayette Classical Academy (Fayette County), Movement School – Athens (Clarke County), and The Wright Community School (location to be determined). Over 38,000 students were enrolled last spring in state charter schools in Georgia.

For more information about approved schools, please visit their websites:

The Meliora School

Northwest Georgia Charter Academy

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About the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia

The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) is Georgia’s state-level independent charter school authorizing body. The mission of the SCSC is to improve public education by authorizing high-quality charter schools that provide students with better educational opportunities than they would otherwise receive in traditional district schools. The SCSC has the authority to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, non-renew, or terminate state charters in accordance with Georgia law. For more information, please visit our website at scsc.georgia.gov.