DeKalb County restarts redistricting plan to address uneven student population, asks for public input
The DeKalb County School District's redistricting plan to address student overcrowding and under-enrollment is going through some major changes.
Since February, the district has been working on what it calls its "Student Assignment Project," an attempt to manage the uneven distribution of DeKalb County students.
According to the district, only 83% of elementary seats and 79% of middle school seats were filled during the 2024 to 2025 school year. At the same time, there were about 4,000 open seats in high schools.
On Tuesday, the school district announced that it would be focusing on overcrowding in six school clusters during the fall: Lakeside, Cross Keys, Chamblee, Tucker, Dunwoody, and Druid Hills. Officials say these areas will be impacted by the new or expanded schools opening beginning in 2027.
Next year, officials say they expect to focus on under-enrolled schools in the Towers, McNair, Cedar Grove, Miller Grove, Columbia, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Clusters.
The move comes after parents and community members pushed back on the county's plan to shut down or convert dozens of schools. District leaders say that no recommendations have been made at this time and that the examination of the schools in the six clusters will continue until October.
"The Student Assignment Project has always been about one thing: shaping what's next for student opportunity," said Dr. Norman C. Sauce III, Interim Superintendent of DeKalb County School District. "We're continuing that work in new, more collaborative ways. This fall, we focus on communities experiencing overcrowding, and early next year, we will turn to communities experiencing under-enrollment. Our north star hasn't changed: strengthening opportunity for every DeKalb student."
The district is now asking for any community members who would like to serve on the Community Advisory Team to submit an interest form between Aug. 11 and Aug. 25.
Schools involved in the fall examination
Dunwoody Cluster:
- Austin Elementary School
- Chesnut Elementary School
- Dunwoody Elementary School
- Hightower Elementary School
- Kingsley Elementary School
- Vanderlyn Elementary School
- Peachtree Middle School
- Dunwoody High School
Chamblee Cluster
- Ashford Park Elementary School
- Doraville United Elementary School
- Huntley Hills Elementary School
- Montgomery Elementary School
- Chamblee Middle School
- Chamblee HS
Cross Keys Cluster:
- Cara Reynolds Elementary School
- Dresden Elementary School
- John Lewis Elementary School
- Montclair Elementary School
- Woodward Elementary School
- Sequoyah Middle School
- Cross Keys High School
Tucker Cluster
- Brockett Elementary School
- Idlewood Elementary School
- Livsey Elementary School
- Midvale Elementary School
- Smoke Rise Elementary School
- Tucker Middle School
- Tucker High School
Lakeside Cluster:
- Briarlake Elementary School
- Evansdale Elementary School
- Hawthorne Elementary School
- Henderson Mill Elementary School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
- Pleasantdale Elementary School
- Sagamore Hills Elementary School
- Henderson Middle School
- Lakeside High School
Druid Hills Cluster:
- Avondale Elementary School
- Briar Vista Elementary School
- Fernbank Elementary School
- Laurel Ridge Elementary School
- McLendon Elementary School
- Druid Hills Middle School
- Druid Hills High School
