Atlanta schools

Our Atlanta coverage centres on Westminster, Pace, Woodward, Lovett and Atlanta International School, plus Atlanta Classical Academy, a tuition-free APS charter. The private schools judge a file: records, recommendations, testing or assessment, visits. Atlanta Classical runs a lottery, so a strong interview does nothing for a lottery number, and the reverse holds too. Keep the two tracks on separate lines.

Deadlines bunch up in winter. For Fall 2027, Westminster closes its application and aid file on January 15, while Pace, Woodward and Lovett take applications until February 1, with supplements or aid later in February and March. AIS describes rolling admission. The Atlanta admissions calendar puts those dates in order.

The grade you apply for changes the list. Pace is the clearest about newcomers, typically about 60 at Pre-First, 30 at Grade 6 and 30–35 at Grade 9. Westminster and Lovett describe expansion years without counts. Atlanta Classical plans 50 Kindergarten seats and fills later grades only through vacancies. The admissions guide explains how each school's process works.

Geography is the other half. Westminster, Pace, Lovett and AIS sit around Buckhead and Paces Ferry; Woodward's main campus is in College Park, and its Johns Creek campus stops at Grade 6, so a younger child faces a later move. Pace runs no daily home-to-school bus. Try the trip after a 6 p.m. activity, not only on tour day; the list and commute guide shows how.

On cost, the private schools still publish 2026–27 tuition, roughly $30,000 to $43,000 depending on school and grade, before buses, books and trips. Woodward's fee-based Transition program can add up to $13,500. The aid and decisions guide covers the full first-year bill.