Central Elementary School, located in Carrollton, Georgia, is one of twelve elementary schools in the Carroll County School System. Students come from various socio-economic and ethnic/cultural backgrounds and range in ages from three to eleven years. Our geographic area in the county is relatively stable and has not experienced the explosive growth with which other schools must cope. We have a strong community presence. With the lion as our mascot, our school serves as an anchor for many local recreational programs that foster a true community spirit.

Throughout the years, Central Elementary School (CES) has undergone many changes. CES opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 1959. The school, originally known as Spring View Elementary, served African-American children in grades K-7, while Caucasian children attended a K-12 school located at the present Central High School. As a direct result of integration during the 1960s, Spring View Elementary became Central Primary School.

As the years passed, increasing enrollment led to the construction of additional classrooms and the placement of 20 portable classrooms on the campus. Central Primary School (K-3) and Central Middle School (4-7) shared the facilities, which housed over 1800 children. In the fall of 1992, a new Central Middle School opened adjacent to this campus. Grades 6-8 moved to the new middle school, leaving K-5 on the present school campus. The vacated sixth and seventh grade classrooms allowed for the removal of 15 portable classrooms. At this time, the Carroll County Board of Education officially named the facility Central Elementary School.

Employing 150 staff members, Central Elementary School houses pre-kindergarten through grade five and has an enrollment of approximately 950 students.  The central office, counselor's offices, school nurse, computer lab, and media center are centrally located to serve our staff and students.

Central Elementary School houses all of the Carroll County School System’s low incident population. In addition to special education, the school offers a variety of programs including the Early Intervention Program for grades K-5, gifted education for grades K-5, keyboarding, art, music, and physical education. We provide an After School Program for day care.

CES is an established school that continuously strives for excellence. It is a large school with a small school atmosphere. The mission of the school is "to educate our students to achieve their greatest potential." The school is known for its warm, caring environment that is both motivating and challenging to its students. The instructional program is carefully planned, properly supervised, and effectively assessed in order to provide the students with every educational advantage possible. The staff annually conducts needs assessments and examines test results to ensure that the needs of all students, from the profoundly intellectually disabled student to the gifted student, are successfully addressed and met.

The CES instructional program is designed to instill in our children a love for learning. Not only do we teach children to read and write, we teach them to love reading and writing. We challenge them in all content areas and train them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. Technology and fine arts are important components of the instructional process. 

We are most proud of our students and staff. The children who attend CES are polite, considerate, tolerant, and understanding of people with special needs. Our staff is truly dedicated to the profession of teaching young children. Seventy percent of the certified staff have advanced degrees. The majority are long-term employees who continuously search for new and more effective methods to teach children. A walk through our hallways and a visit to any classroom will demonstrate the caliber of teaching and instruction going on at CES.

A School Improvement Board, consisting of administrators, one teacher from each grade level, self-contained special education teachers, support and resource personnel, paraprofessionals, parents, a school board representative, and a community representative, serve as CES leadership. A teacher serves as chairman. He/She plans each meeting with the principal and presides over all meetings. The SIB makes decisions through consensus after thorough examination of the task at hand. CES has a School Council to help advise and guide school leadership. 

CES parents are true partners in education. Under the leadership of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), we have in place an effective volunteer program known as "PAWS." Hundreds of volunteer hours are calculated each month, and we appreciate the extra "paws" that strengthen our instructional program. Staff and students benefit from strong community support and partnerships.

The State University of West Georgia (SUWG), Southwire, Chick-Fil-A, Publix, Kroger, Target, and Home Depot have helped the school in numerous ways from teaching our special needs population how to grocery shop, to landscaping our school grounds, and to providing supplemental resources. We have collaborated with the SUWG to improve the teacher-training program, and they in turn have helped to improve our instructional program.

CES exhibits a proud tradition of providing a highly motivating school environment that is challenging for children and supportive of our families and communities. CES has a positive work environment for our exemplary teaching professionals. The school displays a quest for excellence and pride in the accomplishments of its children.