Opened in 1985, Maynard H. Jackson High School has about 1,400 students. The institution, formerly called Southside High School before being renamed in 2008 for the late Atlanta mayor, has several academies, called "small learning communities" geared to the students' strengths and interests. Jackson's three centers of focus include the Engineering Early College Academy, the Fine Arts and Media Communications Academy and the Information Technology Academy. The school was named among the best in the country in the 2008-2009 academic year by both U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek. It is one of the few high schools in metro Atlanta to offer a Chinese language program.