While students were enjoying their summer break, construction crews were busy across Gwinnett County, giving dozens of schools a refresh before the first bell rings in August.
🏫 Why It Matters: These projects were funded by the voter-approved E-SPLOST sales tax and bonds.
🏗️ The Big Projects: According to Gwinnett County Public Schools, Archer High School is sporting a new three-story addition, and Berkmar High’s cafeteria got a major renovation. Looking ahead, a new facility named “Murphy Middle School” and a 20-classroom wing at Harbins Elementary School are slated to open in August 2026.
- New HVAC: Crews replaced aging HVAC systems at Bethesda Elementary School, Camp Creek Elementary School, Collins Hill High School, Crews Middle School, Creekland Middle School, Harris Elementary School, and the Northbrook Center/Buice Center.
- New Roofs: 13 facilities are now topped with new roofs, including the Central Gwinnett High School Fieldhouse, Bethesda Elementary, Dacula High School Fieldhouse, Grayson Elementary School, Harbins Elementary, Lilburn Middle School, Norcross Elementary School, North Gwinnett High School, Parkview High, Shiloh High School, Simpson Elementary School, Snellville Middle School, and Sweetwater Middle School.
- New Pavement: Fresh asphalt was laid in parking lots and driveways at Central Gwinnett High, Couch Middle School, Grayson Elementary, Harris Elementary, McKendree Elementary School, Shiloh Middle, Shiloh High, South Gwinnett High School, and Starling Elementary School.
🔬 A High-Tech Focus: The district also completed 13 career and technical lab projects over the summer, designed to give students hands-on experience in high-demand fields.
- Brookwood High School added a new greenhouse and a Healthcare Science lab.
- Archer High School now has new labs for Agricultural Systems, Audio-Visual Technology & Film, Marketing, and Healthcare Science.
- Dacula High School upgraded its Audio-Visual Technology lab, while Information Technology labs were enhanced at Parkview High School, Pinckneyville Middle School, Shiloh Middle School, and the Maxwell High School of Technology.
- Peachtree Ridge High School received a new Healthcare Science lab, and a JLC lab was completed at Shiloh Middle School.
🎨 Inside Upgrades: Interior renovation work, including new ceilings, lighting, and cabinetry, was completed at Freeman’s Mill Elementary School, Peachtree Elementary School, Rockbridge Elementary School, Shiloh Elementary School, and Suwanee Elementary School.
🔢 By The Numbers: With these updates, Gwinnett County Public Schools will operate 142 schools for the 2025-26 school year. The district includes 81 elementary schools, 29 middle schools, and 24 high schools, alongside specialized facilities like the Maxwell High School of Technology and the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology.
The Sources: Gwinnett County Public Schools.
🛑 🛑 🛑
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
