ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Parents at the Atlanta Girls’ School will have to start thinking about where their kids will go year after school leaders announced that they’re preparing to close.

School officials say they recently learned re-enrollment numbers for next year declined drastically and after carefully looking at financial data, the board determined there is no sustainable way to move forward financially.

It has been a big shocker for parents, who say they found out in a letter. The letter stated that the Head of School, Kimbrell Smith, and her AGS leadership team worked tirelessly to find other options to stay open. The team even implemented cost-cutting measures and intensified fundraising efforts in the face of severe economic challenges.

The school is set to close at the end of this academic year, which is May 24. School officials say families who have already paid a deposit or payments for the 2024-2025 school year will receive a refund in the coming days.

School leaders say they are committed to being a resource for helping families find options for next year. They are holding two town hall meetings for parents on Tuesday, March 19 at the school to address questions and concerns. One will begin at 8 a.m. and another at 5:30 p.m.

The following is the full letter sent to parents:

Dear AGS families,

The Atlanta Girls’ School’s Board of Trustees has made the very difficult decision to close our school at the end of this academic year. We learned last week that our re-enrollment numbers for next year have drastically declined, and after careful analysis of the financial data, the Board determined there is no sustainable financial path forward.

This decision is not one the Board wanted to make. We care deeply about the school, its mission, its dedicated professionals, and most of all the students and families that AGS serves. Many of our trustees are parents of current AGS students or alumnae. We know firsthand the positive impact AGS has had on the young women it has served.

Similarly, this decision is not one that the school’s leadership team wanted. Our dedicated Head of School, Kimbrell Smith, and her AGS leadership team worked tirelessly to explore various options to continue the operations of our school. With the Board’s support, the team implemented cost-cutting measures and intensified our fundraising efforts in the face of severe economic challenges faced by small, independent schools. Kimbrell and her team deserve our praise and thanks for their hard work to sustain the mission of our school.

AGS will continue operating until the end of this academic year, and our focus remains on our students and preparing them for their lives ahead. At the same time, the administration is fully committed to helping families find the right school for their students next year. For those families who have already provided a deposit for the 2024-25 school year or payments to next year’s tuition balance, you will receive a refund in the coming days. Kimbrell will be in close communication with admissions departments at other independent schools in the area, and she is committed to being a resource to our families about options for next year and beyond. Detailed information on that will follow.

Students are receiving a separate email today with information about the closure decision, and we encourage you to have a family conversation to process the news together. Knowing this information will be difficult for our students to absorb, the school will have a modified class schedule tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19. School will begin at the normal time, and the school will provide space and time for students to gather in their respective divisions with teachers and school administrators.

The Board of Trustees tried to anticipate some of the questions you may have, and we asked the team to prepare the attached FAQ document. We are holding a parent/guardian town hall meeting tomorrow at two different times in an effort to accommodate busy schedules:

• Option 1 – town hall meeting at AGS on Tuesday, March 19 at 8 a.m.
• Option 2 – town hall meeting at AGS on Tuesday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m.

On behalf of the full Board, I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire AGS community for your dedication, passion, and support of this truly incredible school and community that we have built. In particular, I want to thank our school’s talented leadership team and our hardworking and dedicated faculty for their professionalism and all the efforts they have invested in our students for many years – and for the professionalism they will continue to show for the remainder of the academic year. While the time has come to bring a close to Atlanta Girls’ School in a physical sense, the spirit of our mission, “Inspiring Girls to Lead Lives of Purpose,” will remain. I am confident that all who have benefitted from this mission over the last nearly quarter of a century will ensure that it continues to resonate well into the future.

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