Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Location
970 McElvaney Lane Lawrenceville, Georgia 30044 United States
Coordinates	34°00′36″N 84°08′39″W / 34.010064°N 84.144117°W / 34.010064; -84.144117Coordinates: 34°00′36″N 84°08′39″W / 34.010064°N 84.144117°W / 34.010064; -84.144117
Information
Type	Special public (formerly charter public)
Motto	Infinite Possibilities
Opened	2007
School district	Gwinnett County Public Schools
Principal	IV Bray
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	945
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Gray and blue
Website	gsmst.org

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST) is a public special school in Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States. Students are admitted through a county-wide lottery, whose participants, since the school dropped its charter status in 2016, must meet certain requirements.^[1] It features a heavy focus on project-based STEM education. Its rigorous course and high student graduation rate make it one of the most prestigious high schools in the state.^[2][3]

GSMST is notable for its focus on technology. Through a contract with Lenovo, every student is assigned a laptop with pre-installed software such as AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Premiere Pro. Teachers and students have access to school-wide SMART boards and overhead LCD projectors.

History

The school was chartered in March 2006 by the Gwinnett County Board of Education through SPLOST and opened in the fall of 2007. It was temporarily housed on the Duluth High School campus, Building 100 began in 2007 as a separate school from Duluth High School. Renovations updated and modernized 18 classrooms and offices, and GSMST moved to its permanent location in 2010 to the geographic center of Gwinnett County, near Sugarloaf Parkway and Old Norcross Road, the former site of Benefield Elementary School. The new building is designed for a maximum of 1,200 students. The school is located beside another high school, Maxwell High School of Technology.

In 2016, GSMST was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award.^[4]

Courses

The school offers high-level courses that challenge students. Freshman coursework includes Honors and Gifted Chemistry, Honors and Gifted Physics, Accelerated Integrated Algebra, Accelerated Integrated Geometry, Accelerated Integrated Precalculus, Honors and Gifted Language Arts, Fundamentals of Engineering I, Foreign Language (Chinese I, German I, Spanish I, and Spanish II), and one elective class. Some of these courses are taught on a block schedule, allowing students to earn up to nine Carnegie units in ninth grade. The main focus of the school is mathematics, science, and technology, but other subjects are also taught at the highest levels available. Each course is designed to integrate content from other courses into its own lessons to demonstrate the history and practical applications of each course.

Extracurriculars

_{Updated August 27th, 2017 (Through verification with current club leaders)}

Press

The GSMST building in July, 2011

The school was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on October 2, 2007.^[8] Six years after their debut in the AJC, the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology students and administration brought the school to a remarkable position as one of the top three best high schools in the United States, reported by US News,^[9] along with the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas, and BASIS Tucson in Tucson, Arizona. Aside from an outstanding national ranking, GSMST is also recognized as the top high school in Georgia. The US News article was also referenced in an article on the Huffington Post webpage.^[10]

In U.S. News & World Report's 2014 Best High Schools in the US, GSMST maintained its 3rd-place position for the second consecutive year.^[11] The school also rose from its #198 position in the top STEM schools of America to #20. The school is still recognized as the top high school in Georgia, with a college-readiness index of 100, as reported by US News. Shortly before US News' annual high school ranking publication, the Washington Post listed GSMST as the 17th most challenging high school in the US.^[12]

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the fourth best public high school in the United States in 2015.^[13]

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the thirty-fifth best public high school in the United States in 2017.

U.S. News & World Report ranked GSMST as the thirty-third best public high school in the United States in 2018.

GSMST has been the most highly regarded and ranked school in Georgia for several years now. During the year of 2016, the ranking officials, by accident, left out GSMST in top Georgia School Rankings.

Although GSMST would still be regarded as the best school in Georgia, the ranking officials refused to move down the ranking chart, so now they are tied in first place with Columbus High School.

In 2016, GSMST was also rewarded with a Blue Ribbon Award.

Notes

References

• "Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology homepage". Gwinnett County Public Schools. Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2007-10-11.

External links

• Official website