AIM Expands to Grades 6-8

We have exciting news to share about the Arts & Innovation Magnet program. Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, the Arts & Innovation Magnet program will expand to include grades 6 through 8. All three grades will be located on the Center for Innovative Teaching (CFIT) Campus.

For the past two years, grades 6 and 7 were located on the CFIT campus, and 8th graders attended the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy. With the expansion of AIM on the CFIT campus, 8th-grade students will no longer attend BASA. The Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy will only be for 9th through 12th grade. Students attending AIM will continue to have the automatic option to attend the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy if they desire.

Expanding the Arts & Innovation Magnet program will allow our students to have a full middle school experience that will prepare them for high school with a three-year arts-integrated approach to learning.

For the past two years, AIM students transitioned to 8th grade at the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy. This year, BASA will have its first graduating class, and next year it anticipates continued growth in its student population. 

While 8th-grade students were housed in a learning pod at BASA this year, they had limited access to the elective classrooms on the campus. Shifting 8th grade to CFIT will ensure students can take full advantage of elective spaces. In fact, with the addition of four 8th-grade teachers at AIM next year, exploratory mini-academies will increase from 8 to 12 for students to rotate through.

Next year, the AIM program will maintain the same schedule and transportation operations. Classes will begin at 9 am and end at 2:40 pm. School buses will transport students to/from their home school and ride a shuttle to CFIT as in years past.

Each AIM grade will consist of 4 classes of about 24 students per class. We aim for a balanced representation of students from all four middle schools, which will continue with the addition of 8th grade next year.

To help us plan for next year, we are asking our 7th graders and their families to complete a letter of intent to confirm they will attend AIM for the 2023-2024 school year. We will send this out in a separate email in the coming weeks.

We plan to accept lottery applications from January 4th to January 31st for the 2023-24 school year. Applications can be completed to fill our rising 6th-grade classrooms. We will also accept applications for 7th and 8th grade to fill any available spots in those grades.

As you may have already heard, the long-term plan for AIM is to move the program to a new middle school building on Innovation Campus off Austin Road. We anticipate that the new middle school building will open for the 2026-27 school year (or soon thereafter, depending on system-level growth patterns), so it will not impact students currently in the program.

We are excited about the growth of the Arts & Innovation Magnet program and the additional opportunities it will provide for our students. If you have any questions, please email me at timothy.holman@barrow.k12.ga.us, which I am happy to respond to.

Thank you!

Alex Holman, Arts & Innovation Magnet Principal