DeKalb County Schools launches school redistricting survey

November 7th, 2024

DeKalb County School District Administration and Industrial Complex on Mountain Industrial Blvd. in Stone Mountain. (Dean Hesse/Decaturish)

DeKalb County Schools is conducting a survey to inform us of its upcoming school redistricting efforts.

To take the survey, click here.

DeKalb County is about to embark on the biggest redistricting push in over a decade. The school district calls its redistricting efforts the Student Assignment Project, and staff say it is a “reimagining” saying it will be a more “holistic process” instead of simply redrawing boundaries and consolidating schools.

The redistricting project falls under a newly created Student Assignment Department.

School redistricting processes are usually contentious, and DeKalb County finds itself at a crossroads as it deals with dwindling enrollment. In 2016, the district had more than 100,000 students, compared with about 92,000 students today. Fewer students mean more under-utilized buildings and potential school closures. District officials have signaled they’re interested in moving away from clusters, where a group of schools feed into one main high school. For example, Druid Hills Middle and several local elementary schools serve the Druid Hills High School cluster.

The county school district is taking its time with this process. The project is getting underway and is expected to last 18 months to two years. The district recently accepted applications for its redistricting committee, due by Sept. 6.

DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Devon Horton, who is in his second year on the job, has talked about the redistricting project — which the district has branded a reimagining — for months. He brought it up at a state of the district address in March, and at a town hall meeting in October 2023.

At the October 2023 town hall meeting, a parent asked about the “Segregation line” running across Buford Highway. Horton talked about the complexity of the issue, the need to bring the different facets of student assignment under one roof on the district side, and the need for stakeholder input that would inform the district’s approach.

In that town hall, he closed his comments by saying, “There is not a single person in this room that is responsible for the districts as they are, but we’re now responsible for them, and we have to take accountability.”

Jaedon Mason contributed reporting to this story.

This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.