History

As part of the Gordon County School System in Calhoun, Georgia, Ashworth Middle School has emerged as a "family" unit. The initial impetus behind the formation of Ashworth was to create a community where no community had previously existed. To appreciate this significance of our history, one must consider the origins from which the modern Ashworth has risen. Prior to 1973, six small schools dotted the landscape of Gordon County. In an effort to unify the community and introduce new educational trends, some of the middle school-aged students from these schools were merged to create the original Wayne L. Ashworth Middle School. The student body of this new school consisted wholly of seventh and eighth graders.

In 1985, Ashworth entered a new phase when the newly formed high school became housed in the same building with the middle school. The facility was known as Gordon Central Complex. The combination of high school students and middle school students caused concern among members of the community. As school populations grew, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the identities and purposes of each school. In effect, Ashworth had become a miniature high school, losing sight of its original direction.

The framework of the school system was reorganized in 1990 by consolidating the area high schools and creating two autonomous middle schools, Ashworth and Sonoraville East. These two middle schools presently consist of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in accordance with the middle school concept, Ashworth Middle School is located mid-way between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. This location is advantageous to our students because they are able to live in a small town yet maintain access to the cultural and intellectual offerings of two metropolitan cities. This unique position enables our school to enhance the curriculum by providing depth and diversity to educational experiences.