About
Fulfilling Our Mission
The Boyce L Ansley School is a tuition-free, private school for children who have or are currently experiencing homelessness. Our mission is to help break the cycle of generational poverty by providing collaborative family support and a complete academic program that empowers children and families to thrive beyond circumstance.
A child’s well-being and educational success are frequently the collateral damage of homelessness. Transience, trauma, lack of sleep, inadequate nutrition, and other related issues severely affect unhoused students’ academic performance. Our goal is to provide a high-quality education that takes into consideration the unique traumas associated with experiencing homelessness. The Ansley School desires to guide our students and families out of the cycle of generational poverty by providing wrap-around services that bridge the gap to equitable outcomes. The Ansley School is currently the only school of its kind in the Southeast, and one of a handful of similar programs in the United States.
About Boyce L. Ansley: Our Namesake
The Boyce L. Ansley School is named in memory of Boyce Lineberger Ansley, who was a highly respected and beloved member and leader of St Luke’s Episcopal Church, as well as many nonprofit boards including the Atlanta Opera (Chair), the Georgia Advisory Council of the Trust for Public Land (founding member), the Atlanta Preservation Center, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the Frazer Center. Her tremendous heart, witty personality, and tireless dedication to philanthropy made her an inspiration to all she encountered.
When Boyce learned of the bold idea to open a school for children experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, she immediately jumped on board and pushed the founding committee to make the dream a reality. Boyce believed in the school before anyone else. When Boyce passed away in 2016, the founding committee had just begun feasibility studies. Since their first cheerleader could not be with them in person, the group decided to name this school in her memory. Her name and legacy continue to reflect the work of the school.
Our Ground Breaking History
The Boyce L. Ansley School opened its doors in 2018 on the ground floor of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located in the heart of Atlanta with a Pre-Kindergarten class. The plan worked! Within 2 years, the school had outgrown its generously donated space and moved across the street to a larger and more permanent home on Ralph McGill Blvd. Kate Kennedy, founder of The Ansley School, became acutely aware of the number of children without secure housing who were not enrolled in school, after volunteering at several local homeless-serving agencies.
“I will never forget the day I was driving down Courtland Street,” said Kate, “and saw a young mother sitting on the curb on the side of the road with four school-aged children running around beside her. She looked tired and alone. As the mother of 4 children, I cannot imagine the stress of living on the street with children—not knowing where you might sleep or eat that night or how you might find shoes and clothes for your growing children.”
After researching the feasibility of this project, in 2016, the founding committee began the bold task of creating a tuition free privately funded school for children who have experienced homelessness. The innovative school continues to add an additional grade each year in a bold effort to help these children live beyond their circumstance and write a story of success!
