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Education in the Robins Region
For listing of Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce member educational institutions, please click here.
Robins Region leaders and residents know that education is the key to the long-term success of our community. They demand the best, and the result is an abundance of top-ranked educational institutions for students from Pre-K to Ph.D.
Area children have access to a fine public school system that typically performs above state and national benchmarks. The area also has first-rate private schools that provide an educational environment tailored to particular religious or secular traditions, with some offering a seamless academic program from preschool to high school.
Higher education and career training opportunities are
readily available in the Robins Region from Middle Georgia
Technical College, Macon State College, Georgia Military
College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Fort Valley
State University, as well as several institutions within a
50-mile radius.
As a result of our community's emphasis on
education, Houston County boasts a higher percentage of its
population holding a high school diploma or higher (86.3
percent) than the state average (83.9 percent), while 24.6
percent of the population holds a bachelor's or graduate degree.
K-12 Public Education
Houston County School System
The Houston County School System provides students with a
high-quality education. Talented teachers, an academic focus,
state-of-the-art equipment, and diverse extracurricular
activities help ensure that students have the skills they need
to succeed.
Houston County schools work to meet the challenge of providing a premium education and superior facilities to an ever-growing student population. Historically, the student population has increased by about 500 to 600 students per year. To accommodate this growth, three schools opened in 2007 and a new high school will open in 2010. The school system presently serves about 26,800 students through more than 2,250 certified teachers and administrators at 38 schools.
From the pre-kindergarten program through Advanced Placement
courses in which students may earn college credit, Houston
County schools emphasize what is important -- the student. A
strong program of academic learning is the key to success for
all students, no matter what their future plans may be. Houston
County schools provide students with unique plans of academic
learning supported by offerings in the fine arts, athletics,
vocational and business fields, and JROTC. The high schools
offer a full range of college preparatory courses, including
Advanced Placement courses in English, science, social studies,
and math. All schools are equipped with up-to-date resources for
teaching a diversity of courses in academic, vocational, gifted,
and special needs
environments.
All Houston County schools meet all standards established by the Georgia Department of Education. The system is district accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The schools offer equitable educational programs as a result of the applied SACS standards. These standards are checked annually by SACS, and every five years the district is evaluated by visiting educators.
Houston County students consistently outperform their comparison groups on standardized tests. For example, on the SAT, Houston County students score within a few points of the national average; on the Georgia High School Graduation Test, system-wide student scores were above the state average; on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, the system average is higher than the state average in all grades and subject areas; and Advanced Placement scores are typically at or above the global average. In addition, four schools are National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Independent Schools
Private education and tutoring, both independent and church-based, are widely available in the Robins Region. Many of these schools are accredited through a national or regional accreditation organization.
The Westfield School
The Westfield School offers a premier college preparatory
curriculum in a Christian environment for pre-K through 12th
grade. Fully accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools/Southern Association of Independent Schools, Westfield
is a school committed to core beliefs that include imparting a
passion for
learning, developing critical thinkers, providing
opportunities for leadership development and community servants,
and instilling the values of honor, integrity, and respect.
Academically, Westfield students consistently outperform their peers across Georgia and the nation on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and other standardized testing, with 100 percent of graduating students being accepted for admission into college each year. Socially, Westfield strives to lay the foundation for the development of productive citizens through extracurricular and interscholastic activities such as athletics, fine arts, and literary endeavors.
The school's 28-acre campus is located on U.S. Highway 41
South in Perry. The campus includes four academic buildings,
media centers and libraries, an athletic complex, gymnasium,
technology labs, an administrative building, and a multi-purpose
gymnatorium for physical education and the fine and performing
arts. An arts and sciences building houses science laboratories,
foreign language labs, art instructional studios, and music
instruction areas, along with a 250-seat recital hall. The
school also offers a state-certified after-school program.
2005 Hwy. 41, Perry, GA 31069
478-987-0547
www.westfieldschool.org
Higher Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest,
fully accredited university specializing in aviation and
aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree
programs in its colleges of arts and sciences, aviation,
business, and engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at
residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott,
Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus at more than 170 campus
centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Middle East,
Asia, and through online learning.
The Warner Robins campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a campus within the Worldwide division of Embry-Riddle. ERAU-Robins offers the Bachelor of Science in Technical Management and Professional Aeronautics and the Master of Aeronautical Science degrees. Students may also complete certificate programs in safety, management, logistics, and supply chain management.
ERAU-Robins classes are conveniently offered in the evenings through traditional in-class teaching and via online learning or live Web-casting.
350 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., Bldg. 380, Room 206
Robins AFB, GA 31098
478-926-1727
www.embryriddle.edu
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University is a public, senior, 1890 land-grant institution serving Georgia and the nation. Founded in 1895 as an institution to serve primarily the educational needs of students of African descent, the university provides instruction, research, and public and extension services consistent with its land-grant and public functions for all segments of the population to achieve their personal, educational, and professional goals.
Following the liberal arts and the land-grant traditions, the university provides diversified and challenging programs to meet educational needs resulting from societal changes. Fort Valley State University provides a learning and living environment that enables its graduates and all who come under its influence to become innovative and critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and responsible citizens.
The newly expanded Warner Robins Center of Fort Valley State University is open weekdays, weeknights, and Saturdays to serve those who may be working while pursuing their degrees and interests.
The Warner Robins Center offers graduate classes, undergraduate classes, and an ever-changing array of continuing education classes to help students move forward in their careers, prepare for a new career, or enrich their lives. The university is now offering six new bachelor's degree programs, including the B.S. in Computer Information Systems, B.S. in Computer Science, B.B.A. in Business Administration, B.S. in Middle Grades Education, B.S.W. in Social Work, and B.S. in Electronic Engineering Technology.
FVSU is now a Professional Learning Unit provider. Approved
courses will note Continuing Education/Professional Learning
Unit credits assigned. A CEU is a nationally accepted unit of
credit for continuing education. Adults will receive one CEU for
every 10 hours of class completed. Popular PLU/CEU courses
include sign language, Spanish, grant writing, belly dancing,
and fashion design. Certificate courses offered include Child
Development Associate, wedding planning, and SCUBA. Courses that
prepare students for medical certification exams include medical
billing and coding, pharmacy tech, EKG tech, and phlebotomy
tech.
Main Campus
1005 State University Dr., Fort
Valley, GA 31030
478-825-6211
www.fvsu.edu
Warner
Robins Center
151 Osigian Blvd., Ste. A, Warner Robins, GA
31088
478-953-0580
Georgia College & State University
Georgia College & State University is the state's designated
public liberal arts university. GCSU is committed to combining
the educational experiences typical of esteemed private liberal
arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education.
The main campus in Milledgeville is a residential learning community that emphasizes undergraduate education along with selected graduate programs. Georgia College is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a council of publicly funded institutions with a strong dedication to liberal arts.
The College of Business has offered classroom-based graduate programs in Warner Robins and Macon for more than 35 years. The school also offers a Web-only M.B.A. All business programs are accredited by AACSB International, the world's premier accrediting body for business. At Robins Air Force Base, the school offers M.B.A., M.P.A., and M.S.A. degrees in logistics management.
231 W. Hancock St., Milledgeville, GA 31061
800-342-0471
www.gcsu.edu
Georgia Military College
Since 1989, the Warner Robins campus of Georgia Military
College has been educating the residents of Houston and
surrounding counties. GMC-Warner Robins is an accredited
two-year college offering associate degrees in a variety of
majors. The school has a liberal admissions policy, accepting
non-college prep diplomas and GEDs.
Tuition remains affordable and includes the use of textbooks. Free tutoring, one-on-one advising, and financial aid is available. GMC-Warner Robins also has small class sizes for better instruction and a convenient schedule of day, night, and weekend classes.
GMC-Warner Robins has two locations, the downtown campus (Elliott Hall) at 801 Duke Ave., and in the Residence Center, Bldg. 905, on Robins Air Force Base.
GMC-Warner Robins Junior College
801 Duke Ave., Warner
Robins, GA 31093
Elliott Hall 478-225-0005
Robins AFB
office 478-327-7375
http://robins.gmc.cc.ga.us
Macon State College
Central Georgians continue to discover the value of Macon
State College's bachelor's degree programs. Since introducing
baccalaureate programs more than a decade ago, Macon State has
produced more than 2,000 graduates with four-year degrees. With
about 90 percent of Macon State graduates continuing to live and
work in the area, the college's four-year degrees represent an
important investment in the region's economic, social, and
cultural vitality.
Macon State's growing slate of bachelor's degree programs includes biology, business, communications, education, English, health information management, health services administration, history, information technology, interdisciplinary studies, mathematics, nursing, psychology, public service, and respiratory therapy.
More than 2,000 Macon State students take classes in Houston
County, either at the Warner Robins Campus or at the Robins
Resident Center at Robins Air Force Base. Students may choose
from day, evening, and online classes.
Because Macon State is
part of the University System of Georgia, tuition is affordable.
The college's Financial Aid Office is committed to helping
qualified students find scholarships and grants, including the
Georgia HOPE Scholarship, Federal Student Aid Programs, and
Macon State College Foundation scholarships.
State offers a well-rounded college environment. Student life
includes opportunities to participate in more than 30 student
organizations, publications, TV broadcasting, and intramural and
recreational sports. The college also has a health clinic and a
wellness program and provides academic, personal and career
counseling.
100 College Station Dr., Macon, GA 31206
478-471-2800
100 University Blvd., Warner Robins, GA
31093
478-929-6700
www.maconstate.edu
Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education. The university enrolls more than 8,000 students in 11 schools and colleges -- liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, and continuing and professional studies -- on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta, and Savannah, and at three regional academic centers across the state.
Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals -- Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon -- and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta.
The university operates Mercer University Press and The Grand Opera House, a performing arts center in Macon, and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program.
Eight of the university's 11 colleges have a presence in
Macon through the University's traditional undergraduate campus,
School of Medicine, and Walter F. George School of Law. The
university offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees for
working adults in the fields of engineering, business, music,
and education
The Mercer Engineering Research Center is an operating unit
of Mercer University and employs more than 170 engineers,
scientists, logisticians, and support staff from a broad range
of scientific and engineering disciplines. MERC provides
engineering, scientific investigation, logistics and management
support, and educational services to a broad range of government
and commercial customers. The diversity of expertise of MERC's
staff and its integrated product team approach increase
efficiency and cost effectiveness while creating a unique
environment for research, development, design, and analysis.
Since its inception in 1987, MERC has exceeded $267 million in
contract awards.
1400 Coleman Ave., Macon, GA
31207
800-637-2378
www.mercer.edu
MERC
135 Osigian Blvd., Warner Robins, GA 31088
478-953-6800
www.merc-mercer.org
Middle Georgia Technical College
Middle Georgia Technical College offers more than 100
different programs in the areas of aerospace, allied health,
business, personal services, industrial technology, and
information technology. Day, evening, and online classes are
available. Job placement assistance and financial aid, including
the HOPE Grant and HOPE Scholarship, are also available.
MGTC offers students the full college experience. The college
offers club sports including basketball, soccer, and
cheerleading. Additionally, the school offers many student
organizations including Phi Beta Lambda, Association for
Information Technology Professionals, Skills USA, and Student
Leadership Council. Annually, the college serves more than
40,000 people through credit courses, continuing education, and
economic development programs at the Warner Robins and
Hawkinsville campuses.
80 Cohen Walker Dr., Warner
Robins, GA 31088
478-988-6800
www.middlegatech.edu
Robins Residence Center
Robins Residence Center, located at Robins Air Force Base,
provides undergraduate instruction in cooperation with the
University System of Georgia. Macon State College offers
instruction at the residence center.
78 FSS/FSDE
620 Ninth St., Room 159
Robins Air Force Base, GA 31098
478-327-7307
Other Nearby Colleges & Universities
Middle Georgia College
1100 Second St. SE, Cochran, GA
31014
478-934-6221
www.mgc.edu
Wesleyan College
4760 Forsyth Rd., Macon, GA 31210
800-447-6610
www.wesleyancollege.edu