Proposed redistricting plans to address low enrollment could close nearly 30 schools in DeKalb County

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — School leaders in DeKalb County are working to make adjustments and explore different ways they can better align their facilities with the needs of the students due to low enrollment numbers. 

The DeKalb County School District can accommodate 110,000 students, but right now they have about 20,000 empty seats and 92,000 students enrolled. Many have cited the low birth rates, which dropped to an all-time low in 2024, as the reason for many school closures happening not only in Georgia but across the country. 

The district has released what they’re calling “initial scenarios” and are encouraging the community to weigh in to help shape this plan. 

School leaders released the ‘initial scenarios’ to show parents their potential redistricting plans, which are the result of the Student Assignment Project (SAP) process. The district has been a part of this process for nearly two years. It consists of an evaluation of their buildings, boundaries and programs with about 140 district stakeholder contributors representing the geography of DeKalb County. 

The plans show proposed conversion, consolidation or closure based on capacity and proximity. According to the document on the DeKalb County Schools website, the schools that are not listed in the scenarios mentioned below are being addressed through separate processes and may appear in future iterations.

At this time, no school decisions have been made. The plans just reflect one possible way the district can better align enrollment, capacity and facility quality over time. 

The following schools are listed as potential closures and repurposing:

For high schools, the forecasted enrollment predicts that by 2030, the district will have four high schools’ worth of excess seats. This potential scenario closes three high schools. 

• Cedar Grove –  has low educational adequacy and is near McNair 
• Lithonia – is smaller and close to Miller Grove 
• Towers – has the lowest educational adequacy and is near Columbia High School

The plan also shows that by 2030, the district is expected to have five middle schools’ worth of excess seats. This potential plan converts five middle schools to elementary schools and closes one school. The school that would close would be Cedar Grove due to the cascading approach. According to the district, this approach allows them to maintain buildings in anticipation of any future changes. 

• Lithonia 
• McNair 
• Miller Grove 
• Bethune 
• Cedar Grove  
• Champion Theme 

Also, by the year 2030, the district is expected to have 20 elementary schools worth of excess seats. This potential scenario closes 25 elementary schools. Elementary schools with low educational adequacy that are near schools with more capacity are proposed to close. Other schools with underutilization are proposed to close due to excess capacity in the area and the cascading approach.

• Ashford Park
• Bob Mathis 
• Brockett 
• Browns Mills 
• Canby Lane 
• Cedar Grove
• Columbia 
• Evansdale
• Flat Shoals
• Henderson Mill
• Kelly Lake
• Kingsley
• McLendon 
• McNair
• Midvale
• Oak Grove
• Redan 
• Robert Shaw Theme
• Rock Chapel 
• Rowland
• Stone Mill
• Stone Mountain 
• Stoneview
• Toney
• Vanderlyn
• Woodridge

The district said the changes would be implemented over a six to eight-year period. For the full plan, click here. 

No specifics have been announced yet. The district plans to take feedback from February through May before any recommendations moving forward, and the school board would not consider any potential decisions until the fall of 2026. 

Parents and community members can click here to provide feedback.