It will soon be time for parents to choose the high school their children will attend for 2013-2014. The magnet enrollment period begins on January 1 at midnight and ends on January 18 at 5:00 p.m.  Picking the right high school is an important decision, and we believe there are a number of reasons why students who are academically gifted or accelerated should choose Atkins Academic and Technology High School.  Atkins is hosting a parent information session on January 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the school auditorium.  We will also have school displays outlining extracurricular opportunities.  Parents are invited to attend the information session.  Other family members may attend this session or attend our home basketball game free of charge.  Please do not miss out on this opportunity to learn more about our school.

On January 10 Atkins will host the Amazing STEM Race for students beginning at 6:00 p.m.  During the STEM Race, parents may attend an information session in the school auditorium.

The former three schools in the Atkins Complex (School of Biotechnology, School of Computer Technology, and School of Pre-Engineering) have merged into one comprehensive high school. As the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) high school in Forsyth County, we offer electives like no other school in the district and like few schools in North Carolina. In fact, with the merging of the three schools into one, there are many different offerings or "majors" students may take to specifically give them first-hand  experiences with a number of STEM college fields of study. Our academic performance and graduation rate compare favorably with other high schools in the district.

We focus on gifted education at Atkins. A number of our teachers are either licensed in or pursuing license in gifted education.

Atkins offers Latin and Spanish at our school. For students considering careers in the fields of science, engineering, biotechnology, medicine, or law, Latin is an excellent choice. Also, statistics show a significant increase on SAT scores for students who have studied Latin.

Students may choose from a variety of school organizations if they wish to become involved in after-school activities. We encourage all of our students to become active in after-school activities. In fact, at the conclusion of the magnet enrollment period, we encourage rising ninth graders and older students who will be attending Atkins next year to come to Atkins and participate in our after-school organizations so that they may begin to feel a part of our school.

Most magnet students attending Atkins take advantage of the school district's magnet shuttle bus service. Students and parents are expected to sign the magnet contract to attend Atkins. Students should be aware of the board policy regarding magnet student expectations as well.

Many parents who live outside of the city limits of Winston-Salem have mentioned that they have concerns for their students driving to Atkins once they begin driving in their junior and senior years. We often point out that those same students are apt to be driving to the Career Center from their homes or from other high schools. Atkins is located a mere six minutes from the new location of the Career Center. This means that a student can leave Atkins, drive to the Career Center, and be in class in approximately ten minutes, making it easier to mesh schedules between the two schools. In addition, beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, juniors and seniors will have the option of taking college classes offered through Forsyth Tech.  Many of these classes will be held on the Atkins campus during the school day, giving students the chance to begin college while in high school.

Atkins was the first high school to adopt a Standard Mode of Dress. We believe this helps us place emphasis on a top tier education for all students.

We invite you to schedule a school tour of Atkins during the school day to see classes in session.  Attend an information session and encourage your student to participate in the Amazing STEM Race.  Magnet applications for the 2013-2014 school year will be available on-line on January 1, 2012. 

Once you see for yourself, we believe you will want Atkins to be your child's high school.