Robinson Elementary School is located in Dawson County, a rapidly growing rural county in northeast Georgia. There are many beautiful features associated with the county such as Lake Lanier, Blue Ridge Mountains, Amicalola State Park, and other beautiful scenery. This rapid growth has presented challenges for the educational system as it attempts to meet the needs of all students.
The county has a diversified industry mix, ranging from basic product manufacturing to high-tech components. Although no longer its largest industry, agribusiness still makes a strong economic impact in Dawson County. The most prominent signs of economic growth have been the development of the outlet mall, the significant commercial development occurring on highway 400 in the county, and the numerous housing in subdivisions near GA 400 and in the city limits of Dawsonville.
For many years in Dawson County, there was one K-12 school that served all school-age children. In 1985, Dawson County Primary School opened at the present location for students in grades K-2. In 1988, Herbert W. Robinson Elementary School opened on the same site for students in grades 3-5 with a joint enrollment of 737 students. The school was named after a well-known, respected former principal, Dr. Herbert Robinson.
Both schools shared certain facilities, such as the gymnasium, but maintained separate cafeterias, media centers, and office facilities. In 1998, Robinson Elementary merged with Dawson County Primary School and became a K-5 school under the leadership of one principal and serving approximately 690 students. In 2001, renovations were made to consolidate office spaces, media centers, and cafeterias. Robinson Elementary currently serves 572 students.
Since the merger of the two schools, there have been six schools built in Dawson County. Dawson County High School, located just down the road from Robinson, opened in 1997. The next year, Black's Mill opened as a K-5 elementary school. In 2002, a third elementary school, Kilough Elementary, opened in the northwestern end of the county. Fall of 2005, Riverview Middle School opened its doors to all 6-8 students. A new middle school, Dawson County Middle School, opened in the fall of 2008. It serves almost 400 middle school students in grades 6-8, leaving Riverview Middle School with just over 300 students. In 2010 Riverview Elementary School opened in the fall, serving over 250 students and housing several special education pre-kindergarten classes and other interrelated classes. With the opening of this new elementary school, Robinson Elementary School's numbers were lowered form 693 to 572 students.
During the summer of 2010, Robinson Elementary School began a major renovation project. ELOST dollars allowed the Board of Education to place at least four million dollars into RES. Some of the projects included: tiled floor, new ceiling, new paint, new cabinets for all classroom, new office wing, new safety entrance, new roof, new gym floor and windows, stucco for the entire building, new pavement for all parking lots, an additional parking lot, and many other projects.
The demographic make-up of the students has remained relatively consistent over the past three years with 95% white and a low 4% Hispanic. Though Robinson Elementary School is not culturally diverse, it is economically diverse with 52% of the students eating free and reduced lunch, thus qualifying RES as a Title 1 school. The RES faculty and staff take pride in rising to the daily challenge of reaching the needs of every student. Staff pride and loyalty is evidenced by the low percentage of teachers who leave the school.