When William Oliver Medlock (1866-1938) operated his ferry service to carry travelers across the Chattahoochee River in the latter part of the nineteenth century, he had no idea that this part of North Fulton would burgeon into the busy suburban community it is today. By the time he sold the metal bridge he built spanning the river to Gwinnett and Milton Counties in the late 1890s, the road that bears his name was already a major route between North Georgia and Atlanta. His son, Robert, often took schoolteachers across the bridge safely in bad weather to the local school. How surprised and pleased those early members of the Medlock family would be to see the school that is named after them!
Medlock Bridge Elementary School is located in the heart of a residential neighborhood not far from Route 141 in Alpharetta, Georgia. The doors opened for the first time in April of 1990 with an enrollment of 547 students. Since that time, the number of students has risen as high as 1400 students (with “cottages” that dotted the landscape adjacent to the gymnasium!). However, due to the opening of several new schools in the area, Medlock Bridge now accommodates approximately 700 students.
The faculty and staff at Medlock are committed to providing an education that will prepare students to use skills creatively, think critically, and become effective decision makers. Through a program of continuous progress, a positive environment enhances the education of each child according to his or her particular needs and unique abilities. The need to understand and appreciate diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds is recognized and appreciated, and Medlock Bridge students are encouraged to respect all members of their school community.
Medlock Bridge Elementary School strives to accommodate and support all types of learners. Some special programs that are offered are the Talented and Gifted Program (TAG), the Early Intervention Program (EIP), the Accelerated Learning Lab (ALL), Interrelated Resource (IRR), Speech, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), the Georgia Pre-kindergarten program, Special Needs Pre-Kindergarten (SNPK), the Extended Learning After School Program, Ready Readers, Read Naturally, and Partners at Learning (PAL).