How is APS allowed to Operate Independently, but Within Fulton County?

Established by the Atlanta City Council in 1872, APS predates the current structure of county school districts. APS, therefore, is classified as an “independent school district” and was grandfathered into the 1983 Constitution under a provision that allowed “existing … independent school systems [to] be continued.” Under the Georgia statute, APS still qualifies as the “local school system”—but only for residents of the City of Atlanta.

Sources:

1. Atlanta Independent School District, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2020, at i.
2.  Ga. Const. Art. VIII, Sec. V., Para. I.
3.  O.C.G.A. § 20-1-9 (“[T]he term ‘local school system’ shall refer to both any county school system and any independent school system which may be in existence in a county.”).