Admissions
Online Admissions Application
Recommendations
Each applicant to Piedmont Academy is asked to supply recommendations from two academic teachers who are well qualified to evaluate the applicant. Please provide each teacher with a stamped envelope addressed to the Piedmont Academy Admissions Office.You may also send an email through the online application to the qualified teachers and they can submit the letter of recommendation electronically.
Applicant Questionnaire
The questionnaire must be returned to the school office prior to the interview date for grades 6 - 12.
Evaluation & Selection
When the student's file is complete, it is read carefully by the Admissions Committee. The committee will seek to answer the following questions: Will the candidate benefit from and contribute to our educational community? Does the candidate's academic performance suggest that he/she will be able to succeed at Piedmont? How do the candidate's credentials compare with those of others applying for admission? As the committee seeks to answer these questions, a wide range of characteristics are considered, such as scholastic aptitude, academic motivation and performance, extra-curricular activities, character, integrity, and seriousness of purpose. Family commitment to an independent school education is also a priority. Are the parents Piedmont or independent school alumni? Are siblings at Piedmont? Is the family as a whole committed to Piedmont Academy? We carefully weigh all of these factors in making admission decisions. The Admissions Office will notify the parents as soon as a decision has been reached. Upon acceptance, a non-refundable pre-registration fee is required to hold a student's place in the class enrollment.
Transcripts
Transcripts are required of all applicants in grades 1-12. It is the parents' responsibility to see that a transcript of the student's academic record and testing record are submitted to the Admissions Office by the student's present school. Any psychological evaluations should be included.
Testing & Personal Interview
Testing of applicants for the following school year will take place during the spring. A testing date is set at a time that is convenient with the student, parents, and school. At this time, students in grades 6-12 will have a personal interview and a "shadow student" for the entire school day.
Health Information
Piedmont Academy is required by Georgia law to have on file Georgia Health form 3031 (immunization records) and Georgia Health form 3300 (eye, ear, and dental screening).
Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy
Piedmont Academy, Inc. of Monticello, Georgia admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial assistance program, athletic and any other school-administered programs.
Frequently asked questions
1. How is payment for tuition handled?
Answer: Tuition is due on the first day of the month. Checks may be mailed or dropped off at the business office. We also offer automatic drafts from your checking account. Forms are available in the business office. Most families pay monthly but some pay quarterly and annually. Payment arrangements can be made through our finance office.
2. Is bus transportation available?
Answer: Piedmont operates three buses - one to Jackson, one to Covington, and one to McDonough. A complete transportation and fee schedule is available on our website for your convenience. Bus fare can be included in your tuition payment and is paid August through May. Parents must provide a car seat if their child falls within the state criteria for transporting small children. The bus schedule is posted under “parents/transportation” on the school’s website.
3. Where do most students go after graduation?
Answer: Our graduates choose a variety of colleges to attend after graduation. Most attend in-state colleges, but some choose schools outside the state of Georgia. With the HOPE Scholar program, in-state colleges are very appealing to most families for their child’s college education.
4. How does the school handle discipline problems?
Answer: Discipline in the classroom is handled by the teacher, but more serious matters are sent to the assistant headmaster. Piedmont has a demerits system where students are issued a demerit for minor infractions such as dress code violation, chewing gum, etc. Students are allowed to “work off” demerits during break, after school, or attend scheduled Saturday detentions. If they choose not to work during their break time, they must attend an adult-supervised Saturday detention as well as pay a fee. Their detention work consists primarily of picking up liter, cleaning, painting, grounds maintenance, and other odd jobs around the campus.
5. What academic or counseling services are available?
Answer: Our guidance office offers academic advice and assistance in college choice/placement and available scholarships. We also offer a class for seniors to assist them with writing a college application essay, resume, discussion of life skills, etc. Juniors and seniors are allowed three excused college visitation days per school year. College recruiters visit our campus throughout the school year. Peer tutoring is available for our students and is arranged through the guidance office.
6. Which departments have won state or national awards?
Answer: Our debate, drama and literary teams have won several state and regional titles since 1973 when the association of independent schools formed a literary program.
The debate team travels across the United States to compete with other schools and always has a successful event. Academic trophies are displayed in the main building trophy case.
Our sports program has won numerous regional titles and several state titles. These trophies are displayed in the gymnasium lobby. Championship years for extracurricular activities are posted in the gymnasium.
Our FFA program has won many LDE and CDE events. Numerous students have received their State Degree and won State Proficiency awards.
7. How is technology used to support learning? Are laptops required? Who pays for them?
Answer: Our entire campus is wireless so laptops/I-Pads can be used anywhere on the school grounds provided they have key access. The school has over 150+ computers connected to the network. We also have software on our server to filter out questionable/undesirable internet sites.
Students in 5th through 12th grade bring their own laptops and log into our server to access their device. The school provides Ipads or ChromeBooks for students in grades PK3-4th grade to use while on campus.
8. At what intervals does the school send out progress reports? Are they sent electronically?
Answer: The semester grade average consists of the two nine-week grading periods plus the final exam. The school offers an online parent notification of student grades, course information, and homework assignments through RenWeb. Parents and students have free online accounts that allow them access to information posted. Activation of a RenWeb account requires both parents and students.
9. Which sports are offered?
Answer: Piedmont offers eleven sports programs. Fall sports include cheerleading, football, shooting team, and softball; winter includes basketball and wrestling; spring consists of baseball, soccer, track, golf, and tennis. Students in grades 6-12 are encouraged to participate. Elementary students have the opportunity to participate in cheerleading in grades K5-5, football in grades 3-5, and intramural basketball in grades K5-5.
10. How important is extracurricular involvement?
Answer: We encourage all students to become involved in school life. One of our mottos is “Involved students become involved adults.” We offer debate, drama, literary, chorus, Y-Club, student government, FCA, FFA, and 4-H. Fifth grade students participate in a ten-week long drug awareness program called “CHAMPS.” Since our primary purpose is to prepare students for college, extracurricular involvement and community service is very important for college applications as well as life in general.
11. What social activities does the school offer, both for students and for parents?
Answer: For high school, prom is held in the spring; middle school hosts a fall and winter dance; and elementary hosts a “Father/Daughter” dance.
12. What is a typical day like for the students?
Answer: The day begins at 8:00 and ends at 3:15. All students report to their assigned homeroom teacher each morning. For grades 5-12, the day consists of six class periods lasting 50 minutes, a 12 minute morning break, and 30 minutes for lunch.
13. Is there a dress code or uniform?
Answer: Students wear a polo-type shirt available in short or long sleeves. The shirts are available in royal blue, gray, black, or white. Some days are designated as "Spirit Day" and we allow the students the option to wear a t-shirt that is related to the school or GISA. Jeans or khaki shorts and/or slacks are allowed. More specific guidelines are posted in our student handbook.
14. Are teachers certified?
Answer: Since Piedmont is “Accredited with Quality” by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and SAIS, they certify and validate that all our teachers meet state standards. All teachers in K5 thru 5th are certified and have degrees and certification in the areas in which they teach. All middle school and high school teachers hold degrees and many advanced degrees (Masters, Doctorate) in the areas in which they teach. Nearly all are certified or in the process of certification. To reiterate, they all hold degrees in the areas in which they teach. We also have teachers who teach as a part of a dual enrollment program with Middle Georgia State University where students receive college credit prior to completing high school.
15. What is the student/teacher ratio? What is the average senior class size?
Answer: The ratio of students to faculty is 12:1. Our average graduating class since 1971 is 22.
16. Who governs the school?
Answer: Piedmont is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of nine board members elected by the parental body or appointed by the Board of Trustees. Trustees serve a three-year term and their responsibility is to set policy and ensure Piedmont is financially stable. The day-to-day operations are handled by the school’s headmaster.
17. What year was Piedmont founded and is it accredited?
Answer: Our school was founded in 1970 and opened with 150 students. Our average enrollment for the past five years has been 348 students. We are “Accredited with Quality” by the Georgia Accrediting Commission; dual accreditation with Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and AdvancED (formerly SACS); member of the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA); College Board (SAT/ACT); and Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) approved.
18. What type of financial aid is offered?
Answer: We offer financial assistance based on need. Applications are processed through Facts. After submitting the application through Facts, parents are required to upload a monthly budget sheet and a copy of their tax return through the FACTS Grants and Aid portal in Renweb. Financial assistance is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Students entering Piedmont from public education, are eligible to apply for Apogee Scholarship funds. Our school partners with Apogee, where the state of Georgia provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations to Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs), non-profits that provide private school scholarships. Individuals may claim up to $2,500 and married couples filing jointly may claim up to $5,000. An individual who is a member of an LLC, a shareholder of an “S” corporation or a partner in a partnership may claim up 75% of their tax liability. Corporate taxpayers may claim up to 75% of their total tax liability as well. The program is capped per year and we strongly encourage for you to be the process in early fall of the current school year.
If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact our finance office at 706-468-8818, Ext. 314 or contact Apogee directly at apogee123.org.
