157 Heaton Park Drive
Atlanta, GA 30307
678-874-9302
Grades: PreK - 5th
School Hours: 7:45am - 2:25pm
School Mascot: Falcon
School Colors: Green & White
Principal: Aaronlyn Wright
Cluster Middle School: Druid Hills Middle School
Cluster High School: Druid Hills High School
QUICK FACTS
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US
Fernbank Elementary School is a DeKalb County school. It has served the children of Atlanta since 1957 and is located in Druid Hills, a beautiful historic neighborhood in Atlanta.
Our school is a fully-authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school. While our primary focus is on providing a quality basic education for all students, we strive to enhance the total education of each child with foreign language, art, music, physical education, and computer/technology literacy.
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable
and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international
organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programs encourage students across the world to become active,
compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people,
with their differences, can also be right.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
FERNBANK ACCOLADES
Let's Move Active Schools
National Recognition Award, 2014
National Award, 2014-2015; 2015-16
An Active School incorporates physical activity before, during, and after school for at least 60 minutes a day. Let's Move! Active Schools is part of the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative.
Healthy Schools Program
Bronze, 2013
Silver, 2015
The National Healthy Schools Award is a prestigious achievement. Schools that receive this award meet best practice criteria established by the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program Expert Panel. Awards are granted at the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. All awarded schools are nationally and publicly celebrated.
Governor's SHAPE Honor Roll
2014
2016 Platinum
The Governor's SHAPE Honor award recognizes schools for their dedication to creating a healthy school environment and a culture of wellness for staff, students and community.
Jump Rope for Heart
2014-2015
2015-2016
Jump Rope for Heart is a special event program that raises funds for the American Heart Association's fight against heart disease and stroke. Students learn jump rope skills while learning about heart health and how nutrition and physical activity can help them live longer, healthier lives. Jump Rope for Heart also promotes community service by teaching kids how they can help others.
State of Georgia's Governor's Office of Student Achievement
Gold Award, 2005, 2006, 2009
Silver Award, 2007, 2008
Awards are given to schools with high academic performance and/or high academic growth.
Fernbank has a very strong school community thanks in part to special events we hold each year. We encourage all families to participate in our Back to School Picnic, a special outdoor movie night called "Film at the Fern", Field Day, International Friends Dinner celebrating foods from our varied cultures, our Book Float Parade, and the always entertaining Fernbank Follies! Parents also enjoy socializing with one another at our annual auction in early spring!
FERNBANK
TRADITIONS
SCHOOL HISTORY
The institution that today is known as Fernbank Elementary had its beginning in September of 1919, in the Atlanta suburb of “Druid Hills,” the charter for which had been granted by the DeKalb County Superior Court in June of 1908. The school was started to serve Emory University faculty and staff children, along with those already in the area. Its first home was a temporary wooden building, used as a chapel and assembly hall on the Emory University campus.
The school continued to experience rapid growth through the 1920s, such that the facility on Emory’s campus was no longer adequate and a larger building was again needed. Therefore, the residents of Druid Hills petitioned for the creation of a special school district and the issuance of bonds for the construction of a new school building. This application was approved by the DeKalb County Board of Education on April 18, 1927, and the Druid Hills School District thus was born.
On November 30, 1927, voters within the district approved the issuance of $250,000 in bonds to build a new facility. The trustees of the Druid Hills School District selected 10 acres on Haygood Drive for the new building. On May 8, 1928, the school district purchased the land from Emory University for $10,000. The building was completed on April 22, 1929, and was named Druid Hills School; it housed all grades, elementary through high school. This is where Druid Hills High School now stands.
After World War II, in 1947, the Druid Hills School District was abolished and control of Druid Hills School was transferred to the DeKalb County Board of Education. As enrollment continued to grow, a new building was planned that would house all of Druid Hills School’s elementary and middle school students together in one location. Ground was broken for the new building, to be located on Heaton Park Drive, on February 11, 1957, at 10:30 a.m. The area surrounding the new building’s location was known as "Fernbank." The new school opened in September 1958 and remained in use until 2012. It was demolished and a new, state-of-the-art building was errected in its place. Fernbank's students housed temporarily in the former Avondale Middle School building during construction, and moved back to Heaton Park in fall of 2015.