Deadline Near For Elite Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Tech

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - Eighth grade students in Gwinnett County with an interest in a field that involves math, science and technology have until Friday to apply for a spot at one of the country's top high schools.

Students are able to register to be included in the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology lottery until 4 p.m. Friday. The freshman class of 2020-2021 will have 375 slots to start.

Parents apply to the lottery online. The drawing will be held at 9 a.m. on Feb. 11.

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It is ranked nationally as one of the country's best high schools.

Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology was the top public high school in Georgia in 2020, based on an analysis by Niche, an online site that touts itself as “the best place to research U.S. colleges, schools, neighborhoods and companies.”

The Lawrenceville school — which boasts an average SAT score of 1360 and average ACT score of 31 — is ranked No. 13 nationally. It also ranks No. 16 for STEM; No. 18 for college prep; and No. 49 for best teachers.

The GSMST lottery is open to all eighth grade students living in Gwinnett County's public school district who are expected to be promoted to ninth grade by June 1, and are currently enrolled in a math curriculum that is considered the equivalent of Carnegie-eligible Accelerated Algebra or higher, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

For students taking non-accelerated algebra this year, their lottery number will remain valid only if they earned a first semester grade of 90 or higher and they score in the distinguished category on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Course Test in May.

Students are also eligible if they earn a score of 550 or higher on the math component of the PSAT or SAT.

GSMST accepts all qualified, eligible students by random lottery. Students in ninth grade or above and students in seventh grade and below are not eligible to begin the lottery registration process.

The lottery drawing will take place at 9 a.m., Feb. 11, 2020, in the board room of the district's Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee.

Although there is no requirement for parents to attend the lottery drawing, the drawing is open to the public.

Prior to the lottery drawing, all qualified, eligible applicants will receive notification of his or her assigned lottery number. All lottery numbers will be drawn and posted in the order drawn.

Students with numbers in the first 375 spots will be notified via USPS at the address entered on the application form. The remaining numbers will comprise the waiting list in the order drawn.