Paul Duke STEM High School honored for work to improve student outcomes

     Paul Duke STEM High School is one of two schools in Georgia to be recognized as a 2025 National Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools honoree.

     This honor is awarded by the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA) to two of the highest-performing Title I schools in each state. In Georgia, schools in the top-performing 5% of all Title I Schoolwide programs are invited to apply, with honorees selected through a competitive process that evaluates academic performance and the effectiveness of each school’s improvement strategies.

     “Our mission is to ignite and foster success and creativity in all students through a challenging Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum, and this recognition affirms the hard work of our students, staff, and families in creating an inclusive and innovative learning environment,” says Paul Duke STEM High Principal Dr. Jonathon Wetherington. “We are honored by the recognition, which acknowledges the exceptional work of our school and community to ensure all students show growth and achieve at high levels."

     Paul Duke STEM High School is recognized in Category 3: Excellence in Serving Special Populations of Students. The school has demonstrated significant growth, including a 9.1 percentage-point increase on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) Progress indicator between 2023 and 2024. Paul Duke STEM High has built a comprehensive STEM learning model that ensures access to rigorous, hands-on instruction for multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students through its signature STEMforALL initiative.

     “Over the last couple of years, we have worked to support a mindset of STEMforALL, which reflects the opportunity that all students have to build knowledge and connections through integrated learning experiences,” Dr. Wetherington adds. “Through our signature STEMforALL approach and incredible teacher leadership, our faculty and staff work tirelessly to ensure equitable access to rigorous, hands-on STEM learning for all students, including our multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students. The credit truly goes to our teachers who are dedicated to student success and believe that all students are capable of learning at high levels.”

     In addition, Paul Duke STEM High School’s design features a flexible four-day, in-person schedule with Flex Fridays, providing students with opportunities for targeted support, project-based work, and college-readiness activities. This innovative model has strengthened academic performance across subgroups, particularly among English Learners and students with disabilities.

     The school has also expanded its counseling program from three to five full-time counselors, ensuring personalized academic and well-being support. This has helped sustain a graduation rate above 90 percent and increase Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment participation to 71 percent. Family engagement initiatives, including multilingual workshops and the Parent Support Plan program, equip families with tools to support student learning and re-engagement.

     Each National ESEA Distinguished School will receive a $20,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Title I, Part A program to support registration for the school team to attend the 2026 National ESEA Conference and to support the school’s Title I initiatives.