Buchanan Primary School is located in Buchanan, Georgia, approximately 55 miles west of Atlanta. The city of Buchanan is the county seat of Haralson County. Haralson County is a small rural county with a population of approximately 25,000 in northwest Georgia. However, as a result of the 2000 Census, Haralson County was added to the list of counties that comprise the Metro Atlanta area. Although the county has not experienced the tremendous growth found in surrounding counties, regional experts forecast increased growth for Haralson County.
At its conception in 1933, Buchanan School served all students in grades one through twelve. As the community grew, the school split into Buchanan Elementary School (first through eighth grades) with a new facility built for Buchanan High School. A consolidated Haralson County High School resulted in another shift. Buchanan Primary School housed grades kindergarten through third while Buchanan High School became Buchanan Elementary School, serving grades four through eight. A consolidated Haralson County Middle School opened in 1996 which led to the most recent permutation of the "Buchanan Schools". Buchanan Primary School currently serves pre-kindergarten through second grades on the site of the original Buchanan School while Buchanan Elementary School serves grades three through five.
In the spring of 1999 an extensive renovation and building plan was begun to replace the original school building which was built in 1933. A new media center, a multi-purpose room for PE classes and special programs, an art room, a music room, and four additional classrooms were built. The following year a wing with seven new classrooms was added. In 2001, the original Buchanan School was demolished and replaced with new administrative offices, a conference room, a nurse's station and ten additional classrooms.
In 2001 and 2002, an extensive technology plan was implemented in the school. Each classroom now has at least three or four computers, the Media Center has ten new computers, and some faculty members have been provided laptops. All school computers are now networked and Internet accessible. In 2003, the county adopted the Powerschool Student Information System software program. All teachers have been trained and are now using this system for student records, attendance, and grades.
In 2003, The Haralson County School System applied for and received a federally funded Reading First grant in the spring of 2004. This federal initiative focuses on grades K-3 and helps at-risk children build early reading skills. This grant stipulates that all students participate in 135 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction each day. All instructional materials must be scientifically researched. With this criteria in mind, the school system adopted the Houghton Mifflin Reading series. Teachers are currently being given extensive training in this series. The grant also requires that all students be assessed and progress monitored through the DIBELS (Dynamic Inventory of Early Literacy Skills) reading assessment software.