About Paul Duke STEM
Paul Duke STEM High School
Motto: Learn Together. Lead Tomorrow
Vision: Our vision is for all students to be courageous, respectful, and innovative leaders striving for excellence and contributing to ever-changing local and global communities.
Mission: The mission of Paul Duke STEM High School is to ignite and foster success and creativity in all students through a challenging STEM curriculum, which connects students to their future through technology and relevant experiences.
Basic Information
Paul Duke STEM High School was established in 2018 in the Norcross Cluster of Gwinnett County Public Schools. Paul Duke STEM High School is a STEM-focused high school. As a theme school in the Norcross cluster, students residing in the Norcross attendance zone have the opportunity to choose between Norcross High School and Paul Duke STEM High School.
There are no special qualifications, requirements, or applications; students only need to live in the cluster OR be granted a permissive transfer to attend Paul Duke STEM.
Opening its doors in 2018, Paul Dke STEM High School opened in the heart of Peachtree Corners in the Technology Park area. This was a fitting location for this theme high school that was the first of its kind... a STEM school with a primary focus on technology. The school’s technology-infused STEM curriculum was developed with students and their future in mind. Its collaborative and connected classes, hands-on learning approach, and focus on learning with and through technology helps provide students with the critical-thinking, communication, and high-tech skills they need to be ready for college and career.
The school has 43 classrooms, three lecture halls, multiple technology and engineering labs, a student makerspace, theater, and a dance studio. While it does not have traditional competitive sports, there will be traditional club and extracurricular activities like student council, robotics, and fine arts programs. Within the first few years, students launched a drone racing team, a rock climbing team, and numerous community service organizations. In addition to its unique theme, the school also offers students a non-traditional schedule where they attend school four days a week (Monday–Thursday) with a digital learning day on Friday. This digital learning day provides flexible opportunities for students ranging from senior internships to small group instruction to a student-run print shop.
The school’s innovative STEM programs focus on three primary areas: Applied Engineering and Robotics; Communication, Art, and Design; and Digital and Innovative Technology. For two years before its opening, an advisory group of school system, city, and industry leaders met to discuss and design how technology would enhance the curriculum for students at the school, which resulted in a technology-focused STEM curriculum that incorporates problem-solving through active, hands-on learning. In addition to its unique architecture, curriculum, and course offerings, the school was different in that it did not open as an anchor to a new cluster. Instead, it opened as part of the Norcross Cluster, providing much-needed relief to the overcrowded Norcross High School. As it shared the same attendance lines, it offered a choice for families in that area. Since its opening, it has worked in partnership with Norcross High School to serve the students of the Norcross and Peachtree Corners communities. In its first year, Paul Duke STEM opened with over 650 students, and it quickly grew in enrollment to around 1500 students.
Mascot and Logos
In selecting its colors, Paul Duke STEM borrowed the cluster navy blue from Norcross High School and paired it with gold and white, in acknowledgment to Paul Duke’s alma mater, Georgia Tech. The school selected the Trailblazers as its mascot, as a trailblazer is a person who makes, does, or discovers something new and makes it acceptable or popular. As an innovative theme school, Paul Duke STEM embraces the trailblazing spirit that its community is known for as teachers and students seek to Learn Together and Lead Tomorrow.
In 2024, students and staff worked with a graphic designer to design a mascot and redesign our logo. The finalized versions are pictured below:
| Crest | Logo | Mascot | Word Mark |
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The color palette specified for the Paul Duke STEM High School (PDS) brand comes from the Pantone Color System, the universal color standard for the graphic arts industry. The colors shown here from the Pantone Matching System (PMS) are authorized by PDS and should not be changed.
- PMS Pantone 7409 C Gold | CMYK C 0 / M 27 / Y 92 / K 0 | RGBR 240 / G 181 / B 43 | HEX F0B52B
- PMS Pantone 2575 C Blue | CMYK C 100 / M 81 / Y 0 / K 51 | RGB R 0 / G 31 / B 99 | HEX 001F63
- PMS Pantone 021 C Orange | CMYK C 0 / M 74 / Y 100 / K 0 | RGB R 253 / G 80 / B 0 | HEX FD5000
- PMS Pantone 422 C Gray | CMYK C 36 / M 26 / Y 23 / K 4 | RGB R 158 / G 162 / B 172 | HEX 9EA2AC
- PMS White | CMYK C 0 / M 0 / Y 0 / K 0 | RGB R 255 / G 255 / B 255 | HEX FFFFFF
STEM at PDS
Schools choose to present STEM in a variety of ways. Paul Duke STEM engages students in a challenging STEM curriculum, giving them the chance to take courses that are not found at other, traditional high schools. We do that in five ways:
- Project Based Learning
- Design Thinking
- STEM Pathways
- Advanced Placement
- Senior Experience and Exhibition
Using Project Based Learning as their primary instructional tool, teachers implore students to use Design Thinking to solve complex and interrelated problems. After navigating a course of study which includes options for nine STEM pathways, over twenty Advanced Placement classes, and a Senior Experience and Exhibition (SEE), students graduate ready for any post-secondary option they choose, whether that's college or career.
PBL and Design Thinking
What is Project Based Learning (PBL)?
Project Based Learning is a teaching method where students learn by engaging in meaningful projects while solving complex problems. Effective PBLs begin with an authentic Driving Question. The purpose of a PBL is for students to answer the Driving Question as fully and completely as they can by working collaboratively with each other, researching real-world issues and solutions, and creating a product. At Paul Duke STEM, we have several schoolwide Driving Questions per semester.
Every teacher at Paul Duke STEM begins with one of these Driving Questions as the basis of every Project Based Learning experience. They tailor the schoolwide Driving Question to fit the curriculum of their class in order to make a classroom Driving Question. A student may be answering the same schoolwide Driving Question in two different classes, but he or she may be answering it in different ways depending on the content of a particular class. This compels students to make connections throughout different content areas.
After being introduced to the classroom Driving Question, students spend time answering that questions as fully as they can. The teacher provides learning experiences that allow students to collaborate with each other, research real-world issues, and build solutions. After their build, students present their project to a public and authentic audience for feedback. Depending on the question being answered and project being done, the audience could be composed of doctors, engineers, financial advisors, artists, designers, programmers, industry professionals, parents, teachers, or other students. The audience gives students meaningful feedback so their learning can continue after the project concludes.
Paul Duke STEM is committed to using Project Based Learning as its primary instructional tool because it is an engaging way to get students to learn deeper. By its nature, PBL allows students to be exposed to adults outside the school building and to careers they may have not known existed. PBL puts students in charge of their own learning, and through authentic and real-world experiences, helps them to become lifelong learners and not simply receivers of information.
What is Design Thinking?
While Project Based Learning is the primary instructional tool at Paul Duke STEM, Design Thinking is our schoolwide problem solving process: a human-centered approach to problem solving where the end user is the most important stakeholder. Design Thinking is embedded in PBL; while students are engaged in a Project Based Learning experience, they are compelled to solve problems using the Design Thinking process.
At Paul Duke STEM, Design Thinking process is broken down to its parts using the acronym DESIGN:
| D | efine the Need | Determine the problem, identify who you are helping. |
| E | mpathize and Explore | Understand the need, find out about the effected perspective. |
| S | olution Ideation | Brainsstorm different types of solutions, form ideas to solve the problem. |
| I | nitial Build | Cosntruct the prototype or public product, make ideas tangible for feedback. |
| G | o Test and Iterate | Try out your solution, improve based on strengths/weaknesses. |
| N | ow Share | Prepare a presentation, share with the public. |
The process gives students a road map of the journey to creating solutions that put empathy for the end user first. Authentic and real-world problem solving requires solutions that take all stakeholders into account.
STEM Pathways
What are Paul Duke STEM's Pathways?
Students who complete one of Paul Duke STEM's nine STEM Pathways receive professional level instruction on industry standard equipment and can earn certifications that give them college and career opportunities unlike those at traditional high schools. These Pathways are divided into three programs that you can see on the table below. Click here for a more detailed view of these pathways.
When students enter Paul Duke STEM, they are given the chance to begin a Pathway in one of three programs: Engineering & Robotics; Communication, Art, & Design; or Digital & Innovative Technology. Each Pathway gives students a focus for their years at Paul Duke STEM. At the end of a Pathway, students can complete one or more End of Pathway Assessments which can lead to industry-standard certifications that prepare students to be successful employees right out of high school. For instance, Cybersecurity students take the CompTIA Security+ Certification Assessment. This exam opens doors to careers in cybersecurity otherwise closed to high school graduates. Additionally, Paul Duke STEM offers assessments in Adobe products like InDesign and Premier Pro, the Unity Associate assessment for Game Development, and engineering assessments from NOCTI.
Paul Duke STEM Pathways
| Program | Job Opportunities with Certification | Post-Secondary Opportunities | Career Opportunities |
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Engineering & Robotics Engineering |
Engineering Technician, Drafting Assistant, Computer-Controlled Machine Operator, Electronics Technician |
Four-Year: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Biomedical, Industrial), Architecture Two-Year: Automated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Various apprenticeships |
AutoCAD Technician, Architect, Engineer (Electrical, Mechanical, Biomedical, Industrial), Robotics Specialist, Machinist |
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Communication, Art, & Design Graphic Design |
Graphic Designer, Video Production Creation, Sound and Video Editor, Direct Sales |
Four Year: Graphic Design, Video and Sound Production, Film, Journalism, New Media, Marketing, Business, Advertising Two-Year: Georgia Film Academy, Fashion/Interior/Graphic Design |
Advertising Executive, Art Director, Artist, Business Owner, Content Creator, Designer, Marketing Manager |
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Digital & Innovative Technology Computer Science |
Entry-Level Java Developer, Customer Support, App Developer, Security Analyst, Entry-Level Web Developer |
Four-Year: Computer Science, Computational Media, Information Technology, Cybersecurity Two-Year: IT, Computer Science, Animation, Game Design |
Cybersecurity Analyst, IT Analyst, Software Developer, Systems Engineer, Web Developer |
Advanced Placement and the Senior Experience and Exhibition
What is Advanced Placement (AP) at Paul Duke STEM?
Advanced Placement is a program that offers college-level content and examinations to high school students; the purpose of AP is to help students reach higher levels of understanding on particular topics while earning credits that can be applied to most colleges and universities.
Paul Duke STEM offers the AP Capstone program, a rigorous and challenging course of study for students interested in careers in medicine, engineering, or scientific research. Click here for more information on the AP Capstone program at Paul Duke STEM.
AP classes are challenging, but they are not limited to students who plan on attending the most exclusive colleges and universities. We are offering 24 AP classes for the 2025-2026 school year, so there are oppotunities for all our students to challenge themselves with one or two AP courses throughout their high school career. These courses include many that are taught at most other high schools like AP Biology, AP Literature, and AP World History. Additionally, we offer some courses that are slightly more specialized like AP Music Theory or or AP 2D Art & Design.
What is the Senior Experience and Exhibition (SEE)?
The Paul Duke STEM Senior Experience and Exhibition (SEE) is a comprehensive internship program students complete in their last year that allows them to engage in real work and then showcase that work to a large and diverse audience. Located at the intersection of school and life outside of school, the SEE program was created to give students the chance to live in a world after high school before graduation. The program is made up of many different parts, and students have the option to participate in one of them:
- Off-campus traditional internship
- On-campus internship
- SEE Consultancy
- Work-Based Learning
- Dual Enrollment/Mercer Cybersecurity