Henry County Schools is faced with the challenge of continuously improving student achievement while managing exceptional growth in student enrollment. Over the past five years the school district has enrolled approximately 8,000 additional students. With a population approaching 40,000 students for the 2009-10 school year, Henry County Schools ranks as the 7th largest school system in Georgia. The district includes 51 schools: 29 elementary, 11 middle, 9 high, one alternative school, and one Evening Academy.

With 5,000 employees on the payroll, our school system is also considered the largest business in Henry. Henry County Schools' “business” is about providing children with the skills and knowledge to compete in the 21st century; to this end, the System is committed to recruiting and training top quality professional and support staff. All schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and “Accredited with Quality” by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. Sixty percent of Henry School System faculty have advanced degrees, and the average teacher has 12.3 years experience with T-4 Certificate.

Henry County provides its residents easy access to lifelong learning, as well. Mercer University’s Regional Academic Center in McDonough offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees from one of the nation’s top private colleges, while DeVry University offers technical certificates as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees at its Henry County location. Georgia State University has recently begun offering a Professional MBA in McDonough. Clayton State University, an institution of the University System of Georgia, is located in neighboring Clayton County, but is steadily expanding its offering of undergraduate programs of study in Henry County. Southern Crescent Technical College, located in neighboring Spalding County, is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and offers a wide range of technical certificates, diplomas and associates degrees. Southern Crescent will soon have a satellite campus located in Henry County.

Workforce

Today’s competitive global marketplace demands that companies seek a location that will provide a qualified and available workforce.

Henry County meets your most critical need by supplying an area labor force of over 600,000 skilled workers.  With many of the nation's most renowned universities and technical schools - several of them located less than one hours' driving distance - businesses that are labor intensive, as well as those that require highly technical training, will attract the best that Georgia has to offer. 

Georgia offers a number of assistance programs, including Quick Start and Georgia Work Ready, to qualifying companies locating or expanding in Georgia, all or most at no charge.  We know that start-up costs are significant, and feel that preparation of people - our most value resource - shouldn't be another worry for you.

Quick Start, Georgia’s internationally acclaimed workforce development program, provides training to qualified new, expanding, and existing businesses.  Quick Start has experience with providing customized training for projects ranging from distribution to advanced manufacturing.

Georgia Work Ready can help you hire the best people and boost your bottom line. It's available at no cost for companies meeting minimum hiring requirements and is easy to access through the state's network of technical colleges. Georgia companies can implement Work Ready two ways - through job profiling and Work Ready Certificates. Work Ready job profiles identify the job tasks and skill levels necessary to be successful in any job. Companies match those profiles to employees' Work Ready Certificates - which measure core skills - to ensure the right person is placed in the right job every time.

Click HERE to view Henry County's current LABOR PROFILE.