Crews Middle School

Alton C. Crews Middle School, under the leadership of principal Mary Anne Charron, first opened its doors to students in the fall of 1997. Located in Lawrenceville, Crews is one of two middle schools in Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Brookwood cluster. The school is named after Dr. Alton C. Crews, a visionary leader in education, who served as the superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools for 12 years, and who was named the “Georgia Superintendent of the Year” in 1989. At the school’s official dedication ceremony on December 5, 1997, United States Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley honored the memory of Dr. Crews in his keynote address.

In 2003, the Gwinnett County Board of Education appointed Jonathan Patterson as principal of Alton C. Crews Middle School. He continued efforts to “build a tradition of excellence.”

In 2006, Dr. Gene Taylor was tapped as the new principal at Crews Middle School. Dr. Taylor inherited a dedicated staff and high-performing school.

Dr. Vince Botta became the principal in 2008 and focused on maintaining Crews’ high academic performance.

In November of 2012, Dr. Stacey Schepens took over as the school’s leader, continuing the focus on academic success for all students.

In September of 2019, the Gwinnett County Board of Education selected Dr. Brett Savage as the school’s next principal. As Dr. Savage began his tenure as principal, he held three “Meet the Principal” meetings that allowed him to learn more about the school and its culture of success. In addition to building strong relationships with stakeholders, he is committed to maintaining Crews’ legacy of high standards and strong community involvement.

Improving student achievement in all academic subjects continues to be the primary goal at Crews Middle, with a strong emphasis on the use of technology and entrepreneurship in all aspects of learning. Student projects are showcased each year at the school’s annual Spotlight Night, which is consistently attended by hundreds of students, parents, and community leaders.

Another main area of focus is professional learning. Each year, the faculty and staff complete thousands of hours of professional development designed to improve teaching and learning. The Crews faculty has twice received “Pay for Performance” awarded by the Georgia Department of Education for exemplary performance and collaboration. And in 2006, Crews was one of only 16 schools nationwide recognized as a recipient of a “2006 Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Award.” Crews received the recognition in the program’s “professional development” category.

Each year, Crews Middle School is recognized for outstanding academic achievement and consistently high test scores. In 2004, the school was named a “Georgia School of Excellence” in the area of student achievement. Beginning in 2005 and for six consecutive years, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education, recognized Crews for improving and promoting excellence in student academic achievement. Crews also earned recognition in 2006 from Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Service for closing the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.  More recently, Crews received recognition from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement for the years 2016-2020 at the Silver and Bronze levels for being in the "highest performing" category with respect to student achievement. Crews continues to excel in all testing areas, including Biology End-of-Course Tests, writing tests, Iowa Tests, and state tests (Georgia Milestones).

Students participate in our fine arts and other connections programs and continue to excel in band, orchestra, chorus, entrepreneurship, and computer science courses. Our students also compete in the county and state Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, Science and Engineering Fair, Reflections, and other academic competitions. We continue to earn awards in many of these areas. The staff and students support the United Way and The Amanda Riley Foundation as we strive to support local areas of need.

Since its inception, Crews Middle School has benefited from caring, involved parents, an active PTSA, and supportive businesses in the surrounding community, all of whom share a common belief in the importance of helping each child reach their potential in order to thrive in the 21st century.