ABOUT AMANA ACADEMY

Amana Academy is a K-8 tuition-free public charter school open to all students who are eligible to attend Fulton County Schools. Considered among the most well-regarded charter schools in the state of Georgia, Amana Academy’s Alpharetta campus was established in 2005 and authorized by the Georgia Department of Education and the Fulton County Schools system.

Amana chose the Harvard-based EL Education (Expeditionary Learning) model* because of its equal emphasis on academic achievement and character education. With high standardized test scores, an integrated STEM curriculum, a focus on stewardship and ethical character, and Arabic world-language instruction across all grade levels, Amana is a success story in the world of whole-child education.

As Amana Academy expands and opens a second campus​​​​​​​ in West Atlanta, it continues to thrive as a network of STEM-themed EL Education charter schools inspired by the successful track record at our flagship school in Alpharetta. Amana has grown from 130 students in its opening year to 700+ students. Despite this amazing growth, the school still manages to retain a community feel.

Amana has gone through rigorous STEM certification, is a proud member of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and it has received numerous awards and recognition for high academic achievement, purposeful ethos, and vibrant community.

Our Vision

To create an environment where parents, teachers, administrators, and partners collaboratively offer an educational experience that develops Citizen Scholars who possess a healthy balance of intellect and ethical character – students with a positive self-image who are motivated for lifelong learning and achievement, who respect others and the environment and who can skillfully express their interests and passions.

 

Our Mission

To prepare students for high academic achievement beyond what they think possible so that they become active contributors to building a better world.

Our Approach

Our approach is grounded in the EL Education (Expeditionary Learning) model, respecting teachers and school leaders as creative agents in igniting each student’s motivation and critical-thinking skills through in-depth, experience-based, integrated instruction across STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and the Humanities.

Our definition of student success combines academic achievement, exemplary communication skills, world language proficiency in Arabic, and relevant co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Culture and character is the hallmark of our school. We believe that academic success is built on strong character qualities of mutual social respect, positive discipline, collaborative learning, and an ethic of civic and environmental responsibility shaped through engaging and challenging academic work.

Visitors consistently share how they are enveloped in the spirit of Amana.  Our students are not only becoming more effective learners, but they are also becoming more ethical people- taking responsibility for actions, demonstrating empathy and caring, and contributing to a better world through an ethic of service. ​

Guiding Principles of Stewardship

A wonderful characteristic of start-up charter schools like Amana is that they are usually founded on a central core-principle. Amana’s foundational principles are best represented in the broad concepts of stewardship and responsibility. The word “Amana” is an Arabic term that means “fulfilling on a trust that must be nurtured and guarded” – it connotes stewardship. Our founders envisioned our graduates possessing a healthy balance of intellect and ethical character – citizen scholars with a positive self-image, motivated for lifelong learning and achievement, who respect others and the environment, and who can skillfully communicate their interests. Students are leaders of their own learning and are encouraged to believe there is more in them than they think.

It is not only our goal to teach stewardship, but also that it be actualized in personal habits. Beyond our educational philosophy, Amana Academy’s community shall adopt this principle as the basic value that steers decision-making, staff selection, financial decisions, and other activities related to its operation.

Click Here to View Amana’s 3-Year Strategic Plan

This sense of responsibility translates into service, which is manifested in the following hierarchy of responsibility:

Individual Responsibility

Seeking knowledge is a responsibility. The pursuit of self-excellence in our education and the proper development of personal abilities and skills enable us to realize our potential. Avoiding what harms and seeking what benefits the mind and body in a healthy environment (place/people) benefit our character, education, and physical being.

Responsibility Toward Community

As stewards of knowledge, skills, and abilities, we each have the responsibility of putting our capabilities to use by serving and positively influencing society. Our responsibility as an institution is to create a welcoming atmosphere of openness, efficiency, and accountability with all of the stakeholders.

Responsibility Toward Humanity and Environment

By understanding our unique purpose in this world and how our simple daily choices affect it, we will be in a better position to make contributions to humanity and the environment. Excelling as global stewards requires understanding the causes and effects of detrimental forces such as materialism, excessive consumerism, pop culture, sexism, and prejudice and developing the means to counter them.

Amana’s Performance

CCRPI is a College and Career Ready Performance Index used by the state to evaluate all schools based on content mastery, progress, closing gaps, readiness, and graduation rate (Amana’s 2019 score was 91.8).

 

GEORGIA STUDENT GROWTH MODEL

This shows the performance of Fulton County schools in Milestones Assessments. The size of the circle correlates to the size of the school. Amana is the blue circle, showing not only high achievement but high growth as well.

For more information on how Amana performs compared to neighboring schools, we encourage you to explore the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website.