Atlanta Public Schools welcomes new teachers ahead of start of 2025-26 school year

APS to welcome hundreds of new teachers

The countdown for thousands of students and educators at Atlanta Public Schools to return to the classroom is now at two weeks. This year, the district has 270 new employees, including hundreds of new teachers. In preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 school year, the district held its new employee orientation session at North Atlanta High School on Tuesday.

ATLANTA - The countdown for thousands of students and educators at Atlanta Public Schools to return to the classroom is now at two weeks. This year, the district has 270 new employees, including hundreds of new teachers. In preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 school year, the district held its new employee orientation session at North Atlanta High School on Tuesday.

APS educators eager for new school year

What they're saying:

"Making an impact in the lives of the kids is always the best part," Morningside Elementary School teacher Radonte White said. White is returning to Atlanta Public Schools, where he started his career, to teach fifth graders at Morningside Elementary. 

"Those experiences I had at Atlanta Public Schools caused me to have a lifelong passion for education," said White.

Dr. Bryan Johnson's message for new educators

The other side:

"We know a big part of our job is to care for and support people because the better we care for and support our people, the better they're going to be for us," said Dr. Bryan Johnson, APS superintendent. "This year, we've really focused on our frontline groups that weren't as addressed in previous cycles. So we're really excited to be able to do that, and frankly, that's a commitment that we have going forward," Dr. Johnson added. "It's not about taking something away; it's really about making sure our students are engaged and connected to learning."

Johnson says another focus for the district this year is student achievement with a focus on literacy. "We now have a tier-one foundational literacy curriculum in place. We started training in the spring, so we're really excited about that work," the superintendent said.

Pay raise for APS educators

Dig deeper:

The school district previously announced a pay increase for frontline employees. Last year, the district announced an 11% pay raise for teachers. The superintendent hopes to eventually raise the average teacher salary to $100,000. Just last week, the district announced additional raises of 10% for bus drivers, custodians, and paraprofessionals, and a 1%-2% raise for nurses. The district says all APS employees will also receive step increases in pay.

The district is also reinforcing its personal electronic device policy this school year, originally put in place in 2019. It requires students to keep their phones turned off and out of sight during the school day. 

APS school start date

What's next:

Students across the district will return to the classrooms on Monday, August 4.