Cornerstone Christian Academy in Peachtree Corners has been named the No. 1 small workplace by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the third straight year — and that’s no accident.
The recognition continues to humble and surprise Colin Creel, who has overseen the school’s steady growth and deepening culture as its headmaster for more than a decade.
“When I first began in 2011, the school had 181 students and 20 or so teachers, and we leased our property,” he said. “Now, at the start of the school year, we’ll have 467 students, 70 staff members and we own our property.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Located in Peachtree Corners, Cornerstone Christian Academy accepts students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Its highly experienced, certified educators partner with parents to ensure the students have a quality academic education designed to lead them to “follow Christ, embrace biblical truth and live lives that glorify God.”
Creel has no plans to try to increase enrollment. Instead, he is focused on what already works.
“We desire to continue to let our roots grow deeper,” he said. “We never want to rest on our laurels. We are always asking ourselves how we can serve our students better.”
Tuition for the upcoming year ranges from $17,450 to $20,500 for eighth grade, which covers a class trip to Washington, D.C.
The school’s leadership believes what truly sets it apart from other Christian schools is its people.
“We keep it very simple, but we desire to hire teachers who love Christ, love students and love their content area,” Creel said. “In addition, we spend up to 2% of our budget on staff development. We firmly believe that excited and engaged teachers will have a ripple effect on the entire community.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Teachers say they are uplifted.
“I get to teach my favorite subject areas to my favorite grade level,” one teacher wrote in the AJC employee survey. “I am encouraged by my peers and given what I need to succeed.”
Said another: “I have the opportunity to partner with parents and make an eternal difference in the lives of young people. I feel supported by the administration and respected by the parents.”
The school administration prioritizes employee care, Creel said.
“We pay 100% of the insurance premium for our full-time staff,” he said. “In addition, for those staff with children, we are very aggressive with our aid packages to make it feasible for their children to attend Cornerstone.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
The school’s history dates to 1998, when members of Peachtree Corners Baptist Church in Norcross (now Peachtree Corners) sought a Christ-centered education for their children and voted to establish a school. Three years later, Peachtree Corners Baptist School (later changed to Cornerstone Christian Academy) opened with eight students. By 2003, enrollment had grown to 30 students.
In February 2016, Cornerstone purchased the 11-acre office park where it had been renting space for $7 million through a tax-exempt bond. Soon after, the school spent $3 million-plus to expand the middle school and update the lower school.
In January of this year, students began taking classes in a recently completed school expansion that finished on time and on budget.
The additional spaces have transformed the school’s science department. The middle school students perform tasks they would have never been able to complete in the old lab. In the fall, the school will offer science to third and fourth grade students as an elective, similar to art, music, writing, P.E. and Spanish.
This summer, the focus has been on replacing the asphalt over the entire campus, as well as converting a classroom into a STEM lab equipped with multiple 3D printers.
Creel said the greatest challenge of the last few years has been hiring new staff.
“Despite the AJC Top Workplace acknowledgments, the applicant pool is dwindling,” he said.
The problem: Experienced teachers are leaving the profession and young professionals are not entering the field of education.
“We do not anticipate this turning around any time soon, thus, we are continually engaging individuals who may be good candidates for the future,” Creel said.
Creel said he personally would love to build the school’s endowment so that finances would never be a reason for someone not attending Cornerstone.
Cornerstone Christian Academy
What they do: Education, K-8 School
When started: 2001
Who is in charge, how long?: Colin Creel, headmaster for 14 years (starting Year 15)
Why do people want to work here? The words that are often used: it is “an encouraging, loving and supportive environment.”
What do you do best? We aspire to serve as the benchmark of excellence in Christian education.
How many times has the organization been an AJC Top Workplace? Cornerstone Christian Academy has been ranked as a Top Workplace for five years in a row. The school ranked No. 1 in the small business category in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
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