Atlanta School & Student Support: Help for Families During the School Year

When a student needs extra help, families should not have to guess where to begin. Atlanta offers school-based and community pathways for supplies, meals, tutoring or intervention, housing-related school stability, and help with enrollment, discipline, or special-education concerns.

Information verified October 22, 2026. Programs, supplies, appointments, and individual services can change or reach capacity. Contact each provider or your student's school to confirm current availability and eligibility.

Start here

• Begin with the student's teacher, counselor, school social worker, or MTSS contact and name the specific barrier: supplies, attendance, food, housing instability, reading or math, behavior, enrollment, discipline, or disability support.

• If housing is temporary, doubled-up, in a shelter, motel, vehicle, or another unstable arrangement, ask immediately for the school district's McKinney–Vento liaison. Eligible students may have rights and school-stability supports.

• For a scheduled hearing, enrollment deadline, or urgent school meeting, share the exact date when you contact an advocate.

• Keep a short written record of whom you contacted, what was requested, and the next follow-up date.

1. Atlanta Public Schools Student & Family Support Hub

The APS Student & Family Support Hub brings several district services together for Atlanta Public Schools families, including counseling, school social work, psychological services, student records and assignment, health services, exceptional-education parent liaisons, and academic support departments.

School supplies and essentials: The APS Department Store lists household items, school supplies, apparel, and other items free for APS families. It is open Wednesdays and Thursdays or by appointment. Selection and availability can vary.

How to begin: Call 404-802-1925 or email kanesha.venning@apsk12.org. The Hub is at 601 Dr. Thomas Cole Jr. Way SW, Atlanta, GA 30314, and lists weekday hours of 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Visit the APS Student & Family Support Hub.

2. APS school social work and McKinney–Vento support

APS school social workers can connect students and families with uniforms, shoes, school supplies, hygiene items, food and clothing referrals, housing and shelter referrals, and other community resources when a need is identified or requested.

For APS students experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, the district's Homeless Education Program may help eligible students with tutoring, internet or device access for schoolwork, uniforms, transportation, graduation fees, basic health needs, after-school activities, and referrals. The exact support depends on eligibility, student need, and available resources.

How to begin: Contact the student's school social worker or counselor and ask for McKinney–Vento support or the Homeless Education Liaison. Read APS Homeless Education guidance.

3. APS Nutrition Services

For the 2026–2027 school year, APS reports that 59 district and food-service charter or partnership schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, providing breakfast and lunch at no charge to enrolled students without a meal application. Students at Federal Eligibility Application schools must submit the online FEA form to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

APS also reports that students approved for reduced-price meals in 2026–2027 will not be charged for those meals because the Georgia State Board of Education is covering the reduced-price cost. School participation and eligibility rules differ, so families should confirm their own school's status.

How to begin: Contact the school's FEA coordinator or APS Nutrition Services at 404-802-2540. Review current APS meal information and the FEA application.

4. APS Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

MTSS is the district's school-based process for identifying and responding to academic, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional needs. Support may include targeted reading or math intervention, structured practice, tutoring or intervention periods, attendance problem-solving, family outreach, and individualized planning.

How to begin: Ask the student's teacher, counselor, school MTSS contact, or administrator what need has been identified, what support will be provided, how often it will occur, and when progress will be reviewed. MTSS services are matched to student data and need; requesting help does not guarantee a particular intervention. Use the APS MTSS Family Resource Book.

5. Communities In Schools of Atlanta

Communities In Schools of Atlanta places full-time site coordinators in participating schools and provides integrated support that may include tutoring, mentoring, attendance and behavior support, family engagement, and help connecting with basic-needs resources.

CIS of Atlanta serves partner schools in Atlanta Public Schools, City Schools of Decatur, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, and Griffin–Spalding County school systems. Services are limited to participating schools and may depend on the school's program and case-management capacity.

How to begin: Ask the school office or counselor whether the campus has a CIS site coordinator. You can also call 404-897-2390 or email info@cisatlanta.org. Check the current CIS of Atlanta school list.

6. Georgia Appleseed student-support services

Georgia Appleseed offers free statewide information and support for families dealing with public-school enrollment barriers, long-term suspension or expulsion, disciplinary hearings, special-education concerns, 504 Plans, or Individualized Education Programs.

Families who qualify may receive one-on-one coaching, trainings, advocacy resources, special-education clinics, or direct legal representation in select cases when available. A referral does not guarantee representation.

How to begin: Complete the short student-support referral form or call 678-426-4640. Request help from Georgia Appleseed.

Before you contact a program

• Have the student's full name, school, grade, and a reliable callback number ready.

• Describe the immediate barrier in one or two sentences and say whether a deadline, hearing, or school meeting is approaching.

• Ask what documents are needed before visiting or completing intake.

• Confirm whether the service is district-wide, limited to a partner school, based on eligibility, or subject to supply and staff capacity.

• If the first contact cannot help directly, ask for the correct school, district, or community referral.

Related Atlanta family resources

Families may also find SAM's guides to Atlanta children's health and low-cost healthcare, Atlanta food assistance, and rental and eviction-prevention assistance useful.

A steady next step

Asking for school support is an act of care. Begin with the person closest to the student's day-to-day experience, name the barrier clearly, and keep moving through the available pathways until the right contact is found.

Sacred Ashram Ministries shares community-resource information and does not administer these school, nutrition, legal, or nonprofit programs. Each organization determines eligibility, availability, intake, and service decisions. This guide is informational and is not legal advice. If there is an immediate threat to safety, call 911.

Illuminate the Temple Within.