Parents across DeKalb County are finding their children’s schools on a district list of dozens of campuses facing possible elimination. The proposal puts 27 buildings on a closure track and eight more on a conversion list.
Why It Matters: The district expects to lose enough students by 2030 to empty four high schools, five middle schools, and 30 elementary schools worth of seats. The plan addresses that gap through closures and building reassignments.
What’s Happening: DeKalb County School District officials are collecting public input on the restructuring plan through an online form. The district calls the proposal a “conversation starter” and says no final decisions have been made.
The board plans to vote on a final version this fall, according to the district’s published timeline. Feedback sessions will run throughout the year.
Between The Lines: The district used four measures to decide which buildings stay open: structural condition, how close students live to campus, how full the building runs, and how much money has been spent upgrading it recently. Officials said the approach prioritizes keeping the district’s best-maintained facilities.
Three high schools would become middle schools under the plan: Cedar Grove, Lithonia, and Towers. The district cited poor building conditions at all three and noted each sits near another high school. Towers is close to Columbia High. Cedar Grove is near McNair High. Lithonia is near Miller Grove High.
Five middle schools would convert to elementary schools: Champion Theme, McNair, Bethune, Miller Grove, and Lithonia. Cedar Grove Middle School would close completely because of low student numbers.
Catch Up Quick: The 26 elementary schools proposed for closure are Ashford Park, Bob Mathis, Brockett, Browns Mill, Canby Lane, Cedar Grove, Columbia, Evansdale, Flat Shoals, Henderson Mill, Kelley Lake, Kingsley, McLendon, McNair, Midvale, Oak Grove, Redan, Robert Shaw Theme, Rock Chapel, Rowland, Stone Mill, Stone Mountain, Stoneview, Toney, Vanderlyn, and Woodridge.
The district said changes in one part of the system create effects elsewhere. Converting middle schools to elementary buildings creates the elementary surplus that drives most of the closure list.
The Sources: DeKalb County School District.
