Administrators at Margaretta Schools opened Townsend North Community School in October, and already they've quadrupled enrollment at the school.

"There’s a tremendous need in this area," said Townsend director Pete Bartkowiak. "And when you talk to probation officers, it’s no wonder we’re getting the numbers we’re getting.”

The school allows students to work at their own pace to pass the courses they need to graduate. More than 80 percent of the school’s population is considered at risk of not graduating, either because they’ve dropped out of traditional school, they're economically disadvantaged or they have other obstacles standing in the way, such as a juvenile record.

With an expanding student population, the school has already outgrown its tiny rental space inside Margaretta High School. The single room was only enough to fit a few students at a time.

By February, the school hopes to move into a new facility: the old bus garage adjacent to the high school.

To read more about the charter school's tremendous success, pick up Saturday's Register.