About Us

Athens Drive Magnet High School is committed to providing a robust, individualized, comprehensive high school experience for each student. Our goal is to equip each student with the tools needed to grow academically, pursue their passions, and leave Athens Drive as the very best version of themselves.

Mission Statement

Athens Drive Magnet High School will provide a relevant and engaging education and will graduate students who are collaborative, creative, effective communicators, and critical thinkers.

Vision Statement

Athens Drive Magnet High School is committed to purposeful teaching and learning that breaks down barriers through collaboration with students to instill in them the resiliency and drive to overcome any personal challenges. We will work as a community to help students graduate as engaged and contributing members of a global community with the academic and interpersonal skills necessary to thrive in their future pursuits.

Magnet School Lens: Athens Drive Magnet High School students exemplify empathy in identifying, and motivation in improving, medical science and global health issues. With experiences in design thinking, project-based and inquiry-based learning, students use STEM practices and critical thinking, communication, and collaboration to create authentic and impactful solutions that improve the well-being of our communities and the world. Students are equipped to identify interconnections between community sectors and take real actions in their post-secondary life to positively impact One Health.  

Core Values and Beliefs

• Every student deserves to be challenged in meaningful learning each day. 
• Every student is uniquely capable and deserves to be challenged and engaged in relevant, rigorous, and meaningful learning each day.
• Every student is expected to learn, grow, and succeed while we eliminate the ability to predict achievement based on socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity.

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Athens Drive Overview

Athens Drive Magnet High School has been a pioneer in Wake County since its opening in 1978. Athens has a strong comprehensive curricular program that is tailored to meet the needs of our diverse school population. We are a data-driven learning community that focuses on evidence-based strategies for learning and teaching.  We offer students support and encouragement as they pursue their academic interests. Our team of dedicated and caring professionals works to strengthen their knowledge base through working in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) and unique academic and business partnerships. In PLT groups, we design curriculum and discuss the various needs of all students. Through our Pyramid of Intervention, teachers and staff at Athens Drive access a variety of interventions to support students, including our SMART Lunch, which provides opportunities for additional support within the school day.
 
The medical sciences and global health initiatives magnet theme provides a strong research base and prepares our students for future endeavors. Real-world examples exist all around us, and we bring real-world relevance to the essential standards. For example, students in an English class may research a current issue in medical ethics such as the rights of minors in refusing to donate bone marrow and produce a persuasive essay. Math students may use epidemiological data to draw conclusions about the Zika virus impact. In a social studies classroom, students might compare the impact of the Zika virus to the smallpox epidemic of post-Columbian America. An interior design class might research and present best practices in healthcare facility design. The theme is experienced in each classroom.
 
Students may choose to join an academy to experience a deeper dive into a medical or global health career. Our Health Sciences Academy provides students opportunities to learn more and experience first-hand medical science careers via one of two pathways: Medical Sciences or Animal Sciences. Students may choose to join the STEM Energy and Sustainability Academy, with a focus on STEM-dependent global health fields. Both academies provide unique opportunities to interact with academic and business partners to extend and enrich classroom instruction.
 
Aside from academics, Athens Drive Magnet High School offers students opportunities to participate in a thriving arts community, including our award-winning band, orchestra, theater arts, and chorus programs. Students can also access a wide variety of clubs to serve any interest.

The school currently serves approximately 2200 students, maintains an inclusive environment for our very diverse student population, competes in the North Carolina 8A Athletic Class/CAP8 Conference, and proudly graduates students with the skill and the will to positively affect global health in our world.

History of Athens Drive

Athens Drive High School opened to students in the fall of 1978 and was dedicated on April 11, 1979. Athens Drive is considered a small 4A school by North Carolina standards with a student population of approximately 2000-2100 students. It is located inside the 440 Beltline in Raleigh, NC, and is not far from North Carolina State University and Cary, NC.
 
Athens Drive is home to Wake County Public Schools' first career academy - The Athens Drive Health Science Career Academy, which started in 1990. Many alumni from the academy currently serve in the health care field both locally and globally. It continues the legacy of excellence in healthcare education and is flourishing.