Beaver Ridge Elementary School

When Beaver Ridge Elementary School opened it sat near a grassy ridge and along a creek which at one time was populated with beavers. The Welch family home was located on this site, which they purchased in 1925. The school, which is located at 1978 Beaver Ruin Road in Norcross, is quite different from the old Beaver Ruin School which served the community in 1896 with a faculty of two.

Beaver Ridge Elementary opened in August of 1979. The first principal was Gary Fairley, who was formerly the principal at Norcross Elementary School. He opened the school with a staff of 37 certified professionals and 18 support personnel. The school’s enrollment for grades kindergarten through fifth grade was 764 students. At the time of its construction, this $1.3 million facility relieved four overcrowded schools in Gwinnett County. Norcross Elementary provided Beaver Ridge with 50 percent of its students. Other students were received from Lilburn Elementary, Rockbridge Elementary, and B. B. Harris Elementary. The student body chose the beaver as the school mascot and called him Bucky Beaver. Students selected blue and silver as the school colors.

Beaver Ridge Elementary continues its strong tradition of educational excellence by helping students reach their greatest potential. The dedicated staff at Beaver Ridge Elementary partner with families and community members to support student learning. Students at Beaver Ridge have the opportunity to participate in a variety of after-school clubs such as Chess, Robotics, Running, Good News, Ballet, Young Readers, Lego Club, Art Club, and Chorus. Beaver Ridge Chess students were named the Gwinnett County K–5 Chess Champions in 2015. The Robotics team received a regional award during the 2014–15 school year. Beaver Ridge Elementary will continue to follow its mission to develop life-long learners achieving academic and personal excellence. In 2016, the good news continued as Principal Lillard was named a winner of the Atlanta Families’ Awards for Excellence in Education. In addition, our school mascot, Bucky, got a new look in 2016!