TCS Alumni Excel in a Wide Range of Different High Schools

For 50 years, The Children’s School has graduated students who are grounded, empathetic, generous and compassionate problem-solvers who know the value of their voice and possess the academic and social-emotional skills needed to shape the world for good.

TCS prepares our students for the modern work environment where creative and critical thinking, collaboration skills, adaptability and empathy are imperative for success.

Our graduates thrive academically in a variety of high schools—independent, public, day schools, and boarding schools across Atlanta and the U.S. Ninety-six percent of our eighth grade graduates have been accepted to their first-choice high school.

“TCS taught me how to think deeper and more critically about problems in life, how to enjoy learning, and how to use my voice to speak up, not only for myself, but for what I see as right in everyday situations,” said Caitlin Stanley ’20.

Parents reported back that their high schoolers were excelling in some very challenging Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes—with mostly A’s and some B’s in their new educational homes.

“We are thrilled with the TCS Middle Grades experience that Payton had,” said Samantha Hodgkins, parent to Payton Vermeer ’19. “She is thriving and succeeding at a very high level. Her high school is a traditional college prep structure, and she is excelling academically; grounded in her school community; leading and loving her athletics (varsity volleyball), theater, and chorale ensemble; and recognized by teachers as an articulate, grounded, mature student.”

TCS’s project-based learning approach not only gives our students hands-on lessons and real-world learning experiences that keep them interested and engaged, but it also challenges our students academically and provides a multitude of social-emotional benefits.

McKenzy Cash ’20 took what he learned in his TCS project-based learning units on creating and running a business—and the real-world experience he gained when his class ran the Spirit Shop—and turned the lessons into Cash Customs, a custom clothing business.

“I learned through trial and error and seeing how people reacted to our Spirit Shop products. I learned things like SKUs and inventory and how to price, where to buy, and the logistics of running a shop online. I learned not only from my teachers, but also from my (TCS) classmates,” said McKenzy.

Outside of the classroom, our graduates are also exploring their passions and demonstrating their leadership in extracurricular activities ranging from varsity sports, theater, debate, chorus, and volunteer engagement.

TCS faculty and staff help our students find their voice and their strengths and encourage everyone to show up as their authentic selves to create a diverse, inclusive environment where teachers and staff become like family.

“TCS has been such an important part of my life,” said Elizabeth Gore ’21. “I felt like everyone there was my family. I knew almost everyone by name. It felt less like going to school and more like I’m just so excited for every day because I’m going to see all my friends and all the teachers that I know. My favorite thing about TCS is definitely the community. It’s just amazing.”

The TCS experience prepares students through core academic subjects like writing, math, science, social studies, study skills, and high school and college preparation with 21st century skills like creativity, collaboration, adaptability, critical thinking, empathy, and open-ended planning our students will need to succeed in high school and beyond.

“I believe that the most important skills that Poppy learned at TCS are her critical thinking skills,” said Stephanie Hope, parent to Poppy Hope ’20. “One of her (high school) teachers remarked that Poppy’s intellectual curiosity and her ability to analyze and interpret texts added depth to the class-room and made her teacher think about concepts that he had not even planned to introduce. We believe that these skills were developed and honed by the amazing faculty at TCS.”

“Leonard and I feel so fortunate that Poppy’s elementary and middle school years were spent at TCS,” said Stephanie. TCS helped shape Poppy into the remarkable young woman that she is today.”