Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Girls’ School closing at the end of the school year
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.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
The Atlanta Dream are undefeated heading into their home opener and still finding ways to improve their roster.
The Dream announced Wednesday the signing of forward Amy Okonkwo to a developmental contract. It’s the latest roster move for an Atlanta team that is 2-0 and gearing up to play Sunday against the defending champion, Las Vegas Aces.
Okonkwo brings an impressive résumé despite her young career.
She most recently attended training camp with the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2026 season and appeared in eight games with Dallas during the 2025 WNBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025, and made history as the first undrafted player since 2000 to average 10 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better through her first two WNBA games.
Her international résumé is equally impressive. Okonkwo has earned back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP honors in 2023 and 2025 while helping Nigeria’s national team capture consecutive gold medals. Collegiately, she played at USC before finishing her career at TCU, where she earned 2018 Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Okonkwo joins a 12-player roster that includes Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao, Jordin Canada, Angel Reese, Aaliyah Nye, Rhyne Howard, Madina Okot, Allisha Gray, Isobel Borlase, Indya Nivar, Sika Kone and Brionna Jones.
The signing caps a busy stretch of roster moves for Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the Dream claimed guard Aaliyah Nye off waivers after she was selected by the expansion Toronto Tempo in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft and subsequently waived on May 7. Nye brings championship pedigree to Atlanta, having been a member of the 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces as a rookie, appearing in all 44 regular season games and finishing fourth among franchise rookies in made three-pointers with 37.
A guard out of the University of Alabama, Nye is one of the sharper shooters in the league. She finished her college career with 389 three-pointers across stops at Alabama and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. In her final season with the Crimson Tide, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors after averaging 15.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season record with 111 made three-pointers.
To make room for Nye, the Dream waived guard Holly Winterburn, a move that came with an emotional cost. Winterburn, a Northampton, England native who went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, said she learned she had been cut just before boarding the bus for the team’s first game of the season on May 9.
“I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I’m getting on the bus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote on Instagram. “But that’s the reality of this business and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me. I’m built for this.”
Winterburn did not stay without a job for long. The Portland Fire signed her to a developmental contract shortly after her release.
After Tuesday’s road win in Dallas, the Dream return home Sunday to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
Atlanta’s vibrant food scene offers diners so much more than comfort food classics (although top-notch versions of chicken, biscuits, and all the fixings can be found here, certainly), and leaving the city without tucking into an unforgettable meal should be criminal. But the trick is knowing where to go.
To make your stay in The A culinarily memorable, you need not only an up-to-date list of the city’s epicurean hotspots, but you also need to choose a home base that makes it easy to get to where you want to go. Choose your hotel poorly, and you might miss where fine dining finds industrial restoration in West Midtown, the continuous creative renewal in buildings and on menus in Old Fourth Ward, or the spirit and soulful flavors of Atlanta’s southside. That won’t be an issue with what’s below.
Old Fourth Ward
The walkable Old Fourth Ward neighborhood (O4W for short, which is located north of downtown Atlanta and southeast of Midtown) is home to many of the city’s top food spots. Find a morning pick-me-up from Chrome Yellow Trading Co., sweet treat from Little Tart bakery, or a decadent sandwich from Kinship Butcher & Sundry, where you can choose if you want your breakfast sausage sandwich served “double double,” or opt for a lunchier option like griddled pork belly with “drunken” mustard on brioche. Eastbound to downtown Decatur, Michelin-recommended and James-Beard-Foundation-recognized restaurants like Kimball House, home to some of metro Atlanta’s best oysters and craft cocktails, and The Deer & The Dove, where farm-to-table is performed with a fierce focus on flavor, are admired far beyond their suburban city’s limits.
O4W is also near historic Inman Park, where you can find exceptional pasta at BoccaLupo, steaks at Kevin Rathbun Steak, or dinner with premium cocktails at Ticonderoga Club at Krog Street Market.
Forth
Forth bills itself as part hotel, part local hangout and membership club, and its range of amenities and convenient location makes it a smart choice for your home base. It’s just off the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail and a five-minute walk to Ponce City Market, a food hall with stalls from a who’s-who of Atlanta’s culinary talent. (Don’t miss Botiwalla, where chef Meherwan Irani of the award-winning restaurant Chai Pani is slinging dishes inspired by Indian street food.)
Rooms at Forth mix mid-century style and modern function, you’ll find both heavy black telephones inspired by the old-school rotary dials and Bluetooth-enabled radio speakers in groovy wooden and brushed copper casing. The decor is otherwise understated, featuring metallics and earthtones, which allows the views they afford of the surrounding buildings and Beltline activity below to stay the star.
McCollum ruins Knicks’ night again, leading the Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead
— CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round…
Apr 23, 2026, 10:32 pm – AP
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