Richards Middle School

What this school is

• Science fair — the GCPS profile reports 15 teams competing at the Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering and Innovation Fair.
• Business technology — the profile describes an 8th-grade business technology student placing in a Microsoft Office Specialist competition; ask how the course fits into Connections.
• Clubs and fine arts — the school lists band, chorus, dance ensemble, drama (Titan Troupe), FBLA, chess and intramurals; the profile reports band, orchestra and chorus at LGPE.
• Gifted (PROBE) — GCPS middle schools offer gifted classes in math, science, social studies and language arts for students who qualify, placed by area of strength (GCPS PROBE page). Ask which subjects are offered here.

Test scores and state ratings are not reproduced here — check GaDOE CCRPI and GOSA directly. Admit rates and rankings: Not publicly available in this guide.

How families get in

Type: Zoned GCPS middle school — assigned by home address (not a lottery or application school).

• Feeder elementary schools (GCPS Discovery cluster page): Alford Elementary School, Baggett Elementary School, Benefield Elementary School and Cedar Hill Elementary School. Confirm your address with GCPS before buying or renting for a school.
• Next step: students go on to Discovery High School.
• Living elsewhere in Gwinnett: a permissive transfer is possible only if the school is on GCPS’s current transfer list. Approvals are capacity-based and must be renewed each year — see GCPS permissive transfers.
• Admit rate: Not applicable (zoned school).

Never treat social media dates as official.

Who it tends to fit

Students

Race/ethnicity mix (GaDOE FTE enrollment count; approximate percentages, not a ranking):

• Hispanic ≈ 57% · Black ≈ 26% · Asian ≈ 9% · White ≈ 6% · Two or more ≈ 3% · other groups hidden (very small)
• Total enrollment about 1,950 students (GCPS directory, rounded)
• Student mix score: 59.6 out of 100 (Gwinnett County overall: 72.9) — the chance that two randomly chosen students are from different racial/ethnic groups; 0 = all one group, higher = more mixed. This guide’s own calculation, 100 × (1 − Σ group share²), from GaDOE enrollment counts — not an official GCPS or state rating, and it does not reflect income or education.

Source: Georgia Department of Education, FTE Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity and Gender. Percentages are rounded and may not total 100. For official Georgia accountability, use GaDOE CCRPI and the GOSA School Grades Report.

Location and daily life

Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. The school uses Evolv weapons-detection screening at morning arrival (school page). GCPS buses serve students who live in the attendance zone; stop and time details are listed in ParentVUE (GCPS Transportation). Families attending through a permissive transfer are responsible for arranging transportation. GCPS does not provide regular transportation for permissive transfers.

Compare before you commit

• Five Forks Middle SchoolNeighboring Brookwood-cluster middle school
• Moore Middle SchoolNeighboring Central Gwinnett-cluster middle school
• Sweetwater Middle SchoolNeighboring Berkmar-cluster school with a STEAM Academy by application
• Gwinnett Online CampusGCPS online school (grades K–12) — a full-time online alternative to a zoned campus

Questions to ask on a tour

1. 1.Which Connections courses can 8th graders take for high school credit?
2. 2.How are students placed in gifted (PROBE), accelerated or advanced classes?
3. 3.How do new students find clubs, teams and a friend group in the first weeks?
4. 4.How does the school communicate with families (ParentVUE, ParentSquare, newsletters)?

What to do next

1. 1.Confirm your address is zoned for Richards Middle School using the GCPS cluster pages.
2. 2.Check GaDOE CCRPI and the GOSA School Grades Report for official school data.
3. 3.Tour the school and ask about the programs that matter to your student.
4. 4.Register through GCPS Online Registration.