Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center, 377 Henry Drive: Marietta City Schools pre-K for 4-year-olds, seats by lottery, 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Last checked Oct. 5, 2026. Sources: the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center, Marietta City Schools and the federal NCES school directory.

The Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center is the pre-K school of Marietta City Schools. It opened in August 2018 on Henry Drive in west Marietta, inside the city limits, and calls itself “the newest school within the Marietta City school district.” It takes 4-year-olds who live in the district. There is no attendance zone inside the city: seats go by registration and, when the center is full, by lottery.

Who to call

  • Front office: 678-919-4590, 377 Henry Drive SW, Marietta, GA 30064
  • Center website: elc.marietta-city.org
  • Director of Early Learning: Christine Ramirez, 770-422-3500, ext. 7633
  • Tours: Tuesdays at 10 and 11 a.m., by reservation through the front office
  • District main line: 770-422-3500
Address 377 Henry Drive SW, Marietta, GA 30064
Phone 678-919-4590
Grades Pre-K (age 4)
School day 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Transportation Parents drive; no bus
District Marietta City Schools

Who runs the center

The center is led by a director, not a principal. Christine Ramirez is listed as Director of Early Learning on the center’s About page and on the district’s Our Schools page.

Who can enroll and how the lottery works

From the center’s About page:

  • Age: a child must be 4 on or before Sept. 1 of the school year.
  • Where you live: the family must live in the Marietta City Schools district. Check an address with the city’s property search tool. A Marietta mailing address outside the city is generally in the Cobb County School District.
  • When: for 2026-27, registration ran Feb. 1 through March 27, 2026. Families heard by mail the week of March 30. Later registrations go on a waitlist.
  • Lottery: if more children register than there are seats, the central office runs an electronic lottery. Each city resident’s name goes in once. A district employee’s name goes in once. A resident whose zoned elementary school has third-grade reading scores below the state average (a rolling three-year average) gets one more entry. The entries add up, so a family can qualify for more than one.
  • Documents: proof of residence (a lease or tax bill), a utility bill, a birth certificate, a Social Security card or waiver, Georgia Form 3231 for immunizations within 30 days of starting and Form 3300 for hearing, dental, vision and nutrition within 90 days.

Class size and enrollment

The center says it follows the Georgia Pre-K guideline of one teacher for every 10 children, with classes of 20. The federal directory counted 127 students and nine full-time-equivalent teachers in the 2023-24 school year, according to the NCES directory.

State report card

Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index scores schools on tests that start in third grade, and the center does not appear in the state’s 2025 School Grades data. For the elementary schools its children go on to, see every public school in Marietta.

After pre-K

Children go on to kindergarten at the zoned elementary school for their address, which the city’s property search tool shows, or apply through the district’s school choice program. The district has seven zoned elementary schools; the public schools hub lists them with their report cards.

Calendar and day

From the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF):

  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: holiday break
  • Feb. 16-19: winter break, after Presidents’ Day on Monday, Feb. 15

The center also posts its own calendar. The day runs 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The center offers before- and after-school care for a fee, and parents are responsible for getting children to and from the center each day.

What children learn

The center says it teaches to the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards, using the Frogstreet Excel PK program, Read Right from the Start, Handwriting Without Tears and Conscious Discipline for social and emotional learning. Its stated focus is “laying a solid foundation for literacy and social emotional learning.”

More on Marietta schools

Frequently asked questions

Who can attend the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center?

Children who are 4 on or before Sept. 1 and live in the Marietta City Schools district, according to the center’s website. Seats are limited, and a lottery is held when more children register than there are seats.

When is pre-K registration for Marietta City Schools?

For the 2026-27 school year, the center’s registration window ran Feb. 1 through March 27, 2026, and families heard by mail the week of March 30. Later registrations go on a waitlist.

What are the hours at the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center?

The school day runs 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Parents drive their children to and from the center; there is no bus.