Joy Village’s curriculum emphasizes Language Arts, Math, and Black History as its three core subjects. The Joy Village School is the only school in our area offering primary grade students this opportunity. Students of all grade levels focus on these content areas each morning.

Each afternoon Joy Village students participate in enrichment classes, featuring topics like science lab, visual and performing arts, foreign language, sports, and more! Our enrichment classes are as varied as the interests of our students, staff, and community members, allowing our students to explore a wide range of ideas and skills.

Joy Village students are sorted into houses composed of students from multiple grade levels. Each house is named for one of Athens’ lost Black neighborhoods, giving students a special connection to their local history. Interacting as houses allows students to be challenged by older students as well as practice leadership skills with those younger than them.

At Joy Village, the city is our classroom! We love taking our students to learn local Black history up close, in the community. We also frequently invite community leaders and elders with dynamic stories and skills to share into our school. Our goal is to expose Joy Village students to as many real world cultural experiences as possible!

One of the values of the Joy Village School is REST. We believe in reserving after school hours for rejuvenating family time and good ole fashioned child-led, play-based learning. And the big secret is…there’s no research basis for the usefulness of homework for this age anyway!

We believe in letting students SHOW what they know. One of the central traditions of Joy Village is quarterly school-wide presentations or performances that allow our students to demonstrate their learning to the whole community! It’s a whole cookout too. You’re invited!