No tablets? No phones? No problem at this Atlanta school

ATLANTA — When students get their school supplies together at Atlanta Classical Academy, there’s something they won’t be using:

Their cellphones.

Where most schools these days are encouraging students to use technology to help them learn, the metro Atlanta K-12 charter school is taking it back old school.

Students at the Classical Academy take notes and get information from books instead of screens. They also aren't allowed to have cellphones and electronic learning is limited.

The focus instead is on a classical curriculum.

“I love that kids are getting to be kids and they’re not on tablets all the time. They’re actually holding real books and looking in a dictionary or using a world map and pointing to things. It’s been wonderful for my kids,” parent Emile Wingfield said.

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The academy was started in 2014 and students are chosen by a lottery.

Principal Chris Knowles said the first graduating class was last spring -- and 100% of those students got into colleges with $5 million dollars in scholarships.

"These are students who have led the way with service engagements, extra curricular, fine arts and athletics," Knowles said.

Joe Santifer, who has triplets at the school, said he trusts the methods used by the academy because they are tried and true.

"These are ideas that have been around for thousands of years and stood the test of time," Santifer said.

Cox Media Group