Thursday, March 20, 2025–11:30 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Northwest Georgia Charter Academy in Cave Spring is set to open in the fall of 2026, serving students who live in Floyd and Polk counties and attend any school in the area (private or public).
According to Judy Taylor, President of the Cave Spring Community Coalition, the academy is public and free.
“There is a long history of this public charter school system in Georgia, but people in the community are just not aware because there has not been a public charter school here,” she said. “My passion for this comes from wanting to make sure our community doesn’t miss out, and that our students have the same opportunities that students across the state have—to have access to a choice. We’ve had choices in this community forever–Darlington, St. Mary’s, Unity, Berry, and all of the private schools, but not all families can afford that choice. This is a choice that will be free. It’s funded through public dollars just like local school districts.”
The academy plans to provide transportation, although it will not be door-to-door.
“We will have a hub, depending on where the enrollment comes from,” Taylor said. “We have collected 800 signatures from parents. We’re not going to have that many seats, but we will have a hub, probably one in Rome and one in Polk County. It will be determined based on where the enrollment comes from.”
The current Community Center in Cave Spring will be used for classrooms and another building will be used for offices and ancillary services. The Academy will cover all expenses for renovation and all facility costs.
The NW GA Charter Academy plans to open in 2026 with grades K-5, growing to 9th grade by 2031 and to 12th grade by 2034.
For more information, you can visit https://www.nwgacharteracademy.org/
