By Alicia Couch Payne
For the fifth year in a row, the Buford City School System has been ranked as the number one school district in the state of Georgia by Niche. BCSS is also ranked number one for the second year in a row by School Digger.
Niche gives the Buford City School System an overall grade of A+. BCSS is given an A- for academics, A+ for teachers, A+ for clubs and activities, A for diversity, A for college prep, A+ for sports, A for resources and facilities, A+ for food, and A+ for health and safety. The grades for each individual school is as follows; Buford Elementary (A), Buford Academy (A), Buford Middle (A+), and Buford High (A+). School Digger gives Buford five stars.
BCSS spends $10,604 per student in comparison to Gwinnett County’s $10,577 per student. Instruction accounts for 66% of that amount while support services take up 28% and 6% is other expenses. Gwinnett spends 57% of their per-student dollars on instruction, 38% on support services, and 5% on other expenses.
“Our community has been blessed to have placed education as their number one priority. This has allowed City Commissioners to fund the curriculum chosen by the City School Board,” states School Board Chairman Phillip Beard. He credits the system’s top-notch staff for “producing the best school system in Georgia.”
The City has built up infrastructure and revenue supply that enables them to fund the school system that allows BCSS to fund high-quality education for its children. “We are blessed to have the funds to keep our schools funded without having to depend on property taxes to keep this status going,” says Beard.
With the test results to back the rankings, the school system continues to be highly sought after by parents with school-age children wishing to enroll their children at Buford. The smaller, tight-knit community feel combined with the academics, athletics, high-quality personnel, and top-notch facilities make Buford highly desirable.
