About
Description of the School
West Clayton Elementary School (WCES) is indeed a community based school. We are located at 5580 Riverdale Road in College Park, Georgia. WCES is located in the northwest corner of Clayton County. The WCES community has been transient. All of our students live within one mile of the school. WCES enrollment has fluctuated between 480 and 600 students over the last three years because the vast majority of our students dwell in apartments. Only about ten percent live in single family homes. Our proximity to the City of Atlanta and South Fulton County opens the door for students to move in and out of our area to and from these districts. The majority of our new enrollees and withdrawals come and go from one of these districts. Often, our parents move a short distance only to discover that they are in a different district. There has been no significant change in our attendance area or our demographics in the last three years. Our student population is 94% Black, 4% Hispanic, and 2 % Asian/Pacific Islander. WCES provides free breakfast and lunch for our students. Our faculty demographics with 60 staff members at 83% Black, 12% white, and 5% Asian/Pacific Islander. WCES was built in 1964 with rich community history with being one of the oldest elementary schools in Clayton County Public Schools County. WCES was recently remodeled. The construction renovation provided equipment monitoring at our entrance, as well as containing our students in a safer environment where students will have access to the gym through an enclosed breezeway.
School’s Purpose
WCES' purpose aligns with the district purpose by striving to be a school of excellence, preparing all students to live and compete successfully in a global economy. Our mission is to provide a safe, enriching environment that strives for academic excellence while encouraging partnerships between the school and community. Our vision is to be a school of excellence that promotes high academic achievement, encourages independent thinking, and empowers all students to compete in a global community. WCES maintains high expectations for all students and staff. Students are challenged and engaged every day- all day. Through the use of the differentiation, students are provided with a variety of resources. We provide opportunities for the use of technology to enhance learning. We have two computer labs. Using these labs, the students have access to MYON, Reading Wonders, Imagine It!, Imagine Learning, First in Math, eduTrax, Edmodo, and GaDOE online assessment. We regularly assess data garnered from these resources to guide our instruction. We provide opportunities for the use of technology to enhance learning. This is integrated into the learning process. Teachers are provided with time in the computer labs and access to data to drive and improve instructions. Teachers also receive regular staff development on such topics as differentiation, instructional strategies and planning, assessment and data usage, and the integration of technology. Literacy across the curriculum is also a district and local school initiative. Specials are provided to enhance the academic environment. We currently offer music, art, and physical education. We also offer additional academic assistance through remediation. This remediation is offered during and after school as well as targeted assistance through Saturday school. We strive to connect all learning to real world experience in order to prepare our students for global competition.
We maintain high expectations through continually disaggregating and analyzing achievement data. This data is shared with the student, parents, and the community at large through various means of communication. Some of these vessels for communication include the following; newsletters, gradebook access, PTA, School Council, and the district and school website. High expectations are also maintained through the recruitment and retention of qualified staff members. WCES has shown tremendous gains over the past three years because we have maintained a 100% highly qualified staff that is dedicated to the mission and vision of WCES.