Company Profile
Guilford County Schools
Company Overview
Guilford County Schools (GCS) is the third largest district in the state serving more than 72,500 students across 124 schools in urban, suburban and rural areas. Tucked away in central North Carolina, GCS is diverse both in its student body and in its academics. The district serves students who speak 117 languages/dialects and who represent 95 countries. There are more than 10,000 special education students and more than 13,000 advanced learners.
The district is a national leader in magnet/school choice programs, offering 53 magnet programs satisfying a varied range of ages, skill levels and interests. In addition, the district provides non-traditional educational settings including a Twilight School, which serves students who are at risk of dropping out, High School Ahead Academy, a school serving over-aged middle school students, and eight early/middle colleges, schools located at area colleges and universities that offer tailored programs and opportunities for students to earn college credit.
The district also boasts:
Three special education schools: Meredith Leigh Haynes-Bennie Lee Inman Education Center, Gateway Education Center and McIver Education Center
Two SCALE sites, which provide an alternative to students on long-term suspensions
The Doris Henderson Newcomers School, a school serving recently arrived immigrant students in grades 3-12
Three Montessori schools
Four International Baccalaureate (IB) programs
An award-winning tech prep and performing/visual arts programs at Weaver Academy
Company History
GCS Vision:
Achieving educational excellence – the successful coupling of academic education and character development
GCS Mission:
Guilford County students will graduate as responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education, or in the career of their choice.*
*This mission was adopted by the Guilford County Board of Education on Dec. 12, 2000.
GCS Board and District Values:
Diversity
We are committed to creating an educational organization where a variety of persons and perspectives are welcome. We are committed to providing an environment where students and staff from all cultures and backgrounds may succeed.
Empathy
We are committed to developing a culture where our employees identify with and understand the feelings of our students and parents as well as their colleagues.
Equality
We are committed to creating a school system where everyone is appreciated and judged based solely on their contributions and performance. Through the work of this institution, we will create awareness of and develop strategies to understand and eradicate prejudice, discrimination and racism on the individual and organizational level.
Innovativeness
We are committed to fostering a work environment where the goal is not to manage innovations, but to become innovative. Problems are identified, ownership of those problems is assumed by the adults in the district and everyone works together as agents of the solution until the problems are solved. We will not stop until obstacles are removed, solutions found, and clear and compelling goals are established.
Integrity
We are committed to creating a school district that acts with honesty and forthrightness, holding ourselves to high academic and ethical standards, and dealing with everyone with respect.
GCS By The Numbers
• 124 schools (some campuses serve both elementary and secondary)
• Third largest district in the state and among the 50 largest districts in the
country
• More than 72,000 students
• Third-largest employer in the 12-county area with more than 10,000 full and part-time employees
• GCS students represent 95 countries and speak 117 languages
• The GCS student ethnic composition:
American Indian - 0.57%
Asian - 5.75%
Black - 40.76%
Hispanic - 12.03%
Multi-Racial - 3.74%
Pacific Islander - 0.15%
White - 36.98%
• More than half (56.58 percent) of the GCS student body receives free or reduced-price lunches
• Graduation rate: 84.5 percent
• Dropout rate: 2.15 percent
• The GCS transportation department transports 41,211 students to and from school daily on 602 buses that travel a total of 61,759 miles per day
• Volunteers logged 410,292 hours in 2011-12
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
The Guilford County Schools (GCS) system was created on July 1, 1993, when the former Greensboro, High Point, and Guilford County school systems merged to form the third largest school district in North Carolina.
In 2012, GCS saw a rise in its EOG and EOC composites scores to 75.9 percent proficient, an increase from the 2011 rate of 74.5 percent.
Nineteen schools were named Honor Schools of Excellence, the highest designation given through the state’s ABCs recognition program. In 2008, only one GCS school attained this honor.
More than one-third of GCS schools are either Honor Schools of Excellence, Schools of Excellence or Schools of Distinction, the top ABCs categories designated by the state.
The GCS Class of 2012 earned a record-breaking $139 million in scholarships this year, about $17 million more than the Class of 2011 earned. In addition, the district’s graduation rate hit a high of 84.5 percent, an increase from last year’s rate of 83.1 percent.
In 2011-12, six of the district’s high schools achieved 100 percent graduation rates - The Middle College at Bennett, Greensboro College Middle College, Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, The Early College at Guilford, The Middle College at N.C. A&T and Weaver Academy.
GCS students took 9,116 Advanced Placement exams in 2012 and had a passing rate of 53.66 percent. The district has 1,096 AP Scholars.
The Early College at Guilford was recognized as one of the best high schools in the country by both the Washington Post and the Daily Beast. A total of 16 GCS schools were listed in the Washington Post’s High School Challenge.
In January 2011, GCS launched Guilford Parent Academy, a free resource that provides classes on a variety of topics for parents, grandparents and family members. Since that time, Guilford Parent Academy has reached more than 14,000 parents through various classes, workshops and family events.
In 2012, 528 graduates received the first Service-Learning Diploma,which recognizes students who recorded 175 or more hours of service-learning experience. Another 354 graduates earned the district’s service-learning exemplary award, which recognized 75 hours of service. Altogether, high school
students recorded 164,606 hours during 2011-12.
GCS’ Alternative Certification Track (ACT) program was the first program in the state to offer lateral entry candidates an in-house teacher preparation program that leads to licensure.
Benefits
Guilford County Schools (GCS) is pleased to offer a variety of benefits reflecting the diverse needs of our employees. We offer comprehensive and cost-sensitive benefits to employees and their families.Some of the benefits are mandatory, such as the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System (TSERS) and basic life insurance. Other plans are optional for example, health and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, tax deferred and tax sheltered plans, long term care insurance, and other supplemental plans. The plan options allow you to customize your benefits to meet your budgetary and personal objectives.
In addition, GCS benefits from a very supportive community. Many buisnesses offer discounts to GCS employees from banks and mortgage companies to car dealerships, retail stores and restaurants.
We are a large school district with a small town feel. Whether you're looking for city or country living, large department stores or unique boutiques, access to amenities via a short walk or quick drive, we have it all!