DeKalb County proposes school zone shifts

Families in northern DeKalb County face potential changes to their children's school assignments under a new redistricting proposal released Wednesday. The district is offering multiple options to address severe capacity shortfalls while avoiding the closure of more than two dozen schools, a move previously rejected by parents.

Current conditions in the north are strained. Ashford Park Elementary in Brookhaven operates at 178% of its capacity. The school uses classroom trailers to accommodate the student population. The proposal targets these crowded areas by redrawing attendance zones for elementary and middle schools.

If the school board adopts the plan, elementary and middle school boundary changes take effect in the fall of 2027. High school adjustments would not occur before 2029. Students entering the 5th, 8th, 11th, and 12th grades would have the option to apply to remain at their current schools if their new residence places them outside the designated zone.

The proposal addresses a specific gap in the Cross Keys High School cluster, which currently lacks a dedicated middle school. Planners presented four options. One maintains the current setup with no middle school for the cluster. The other three convert an existing elementary campus into a middle school. Jennifer Caracciolo, deputy chief communications officer for DeKalb County Schools, identified Woodward, Dresden, and John Lewis elementary schools as the possible conversion sites. Converting Woodward Elementary would also require moving the high achiever's magnet program from Chamblee Middle School to Henderson Middle School and from Chamblee High School to Cross Keys High School.

District administrators have not released final cost projections or identified funding sources for the potential facility conversions. School board members have not set a date for the final vote on which option to select. The district is currently conducting the third phase of community engagement. This includes an online survey and virtual focus groups. In-person feedback forums are scheduled for Druid Hills Middle School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, and Dunwoody High School at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 5.

A fourth and final round of engagement sessions is planned for December. During that period, the district will submit a final plan to the school board for a vote. Following that decision, the district will begin redistricting for underutilized schools.