DECATUR, GA — A Decatur school dedicated to educating refugee girls is moving forward with a major expansion project that will allow it to double the number of students it serves.

For 17 years, the Global Village Project has operated inside Decatur First Presbyterian Church, but the school now plans to move into a renovated three-building campus about four miles away.

Lane Strickland, the school’s director of development, said the move marks a big step forward. “This expansion is so important because it’s going to allow us to double our impact; right now we can only serve 45 girls, we are turning away on average 44% of our applicants,” she said. “This is going to mean the world for our students and for our mission.”

The expansion will bring new facilities, including a cafeteria, auditorium, larger classrooms, and for the first time, a nurse’s office and counselor’s room. Once complete, the new campus will allow the school to serve up to 100 students at a time.

The Global Village Project is focused on helping refugee girls catch up academically so they can succeed in public schools. School leaders hope to complete renovations and move into the new location by fall of next year.

WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story