ATLANTA — As school districts face declining enrollment, more than a dozen metro area schools could close in future years.
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It’s a problem facing districts across the country, as many public schools see declining enrollment.
Atlanta Public Schools specifically says it have capacity in their system for 70,000 students, but have an enrollment of around 50,000.
In a school board meeting on Monday, DeKalb County says it had a gap of 18,000.
“K through 12 planning has become a lot more difficult in the past few years,” Matt Sachs, a data analyst with HPM, said.
HPM is working with both APS and DeKalb County schools as they look at potential consolidation.
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APS currently has multiple proposals it is trying to get feedback on, and calls for the closing of 11 to 13 schools as it currently stands.
“We’re putting out different scenarios to get feedback. Some things that we’re asking about might end up not being feasible just due to demographic factors, transportation, community concerns,” Sachs said. “We’re trying to set up the district for long-term success and to make every school a good school.”
Some parents are concerned about what consolidation may mean for parents and students.
Erin Istanbulluoglu has two children at Jackson Elementary, and says the smaller school has paid dividends for the kids.
“We’ve had an amazing school experience. We’ve loved being in a little bit of a smaller school,” Istanbulluoglu said.
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However, under all the proposals laid out by APS, Jackson Primary would combine with Jackson Main.
“You risk separating your communities. They’ve talked about shifting boundaries, and we don’t know what those are gonna look like,” Istanbulluoglu said.
Right now, no proposal has been finalized. APS is currently asking parents to fill out a survey and attend one of the multiple public meetings it has planned.
You can look at the survey and the meeting schedule here: https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/aps2040.
Sachs says it is unlikely that any closures would happen before the 2027 school year.
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