FAQ: When will DeKalb make a decision on school closures?

The DeKalb County School District shared initial plans this week to close more than two dozen schools in an effort to combat declining enrollment and save on operating costs.

Here’s the good news: Nothing is set in stone. The district will spend much of the year gathering feedback and refining the plan for what will happen at each school.

District staff worked with a 150-person committee and consultants for almost two years before developing this initial plan and intends to collect community feedback for most of 2026 before making any decisions. But the fluid process also makes things confusing. Which schools are closing? When will we know for sure? Why me?

Here are answers to some of the biggest questions this process is eliciting so far.

Is my school going to close?

It’s too soon to know for sure. DeKalb put out an initial list in February — they’re calling it a scenario — of three high schools that could convert to middle schools, five middle schools that could convert to elementary schools, 27 schools that could close and 11 schools where they could increase capacity.

District officials are emphasizing this is just a starting point. It’s meant to give people something to respond to so they can gather feedback before any final decisions are made.

Why is my school listed for possible closure?

This all started because DeKalb has about 18,000 empty seats across the district. That means it has more empty capacity than nearby Rockdale County has students enrolled. When schools operate below capacity, it costs more money and resources. Bigger schools are more cost effective.

To select specific schools that could close, the committee examined the proximity of schools to where students live, how close they are to one another, whether the facility itself is well-suited to house students, the building capacity, recent facility investments and future facility needs.

The district also took a cascading approach, meaning it started with what schools it wanted to keep. High schools are the district’s biggest long-term investments and typically have the most capacity. But this approach shifts the biggest impacts down to elementary schools, which tend to be much smaller and enroll fewer students.

Where will my kid go to school if my school is closed?

DeKalb doesn’t know yet. The process starts with figuring out which of the district’s facilities have the right capacity and how suitable they are to house students. Talks about attendance boundaries won’t start until the summer.

Keep in mind that even if a school is listed for possible closure, that could change.

When will we know for sure?

District staff expects to present final recommendations to the school board in December. Here’s what the next year will look like:

• Now through May: Host community meetings and solicit feedback about initial building plan
• May to August: Develop boundary and program placement options
• September to November: Gather feedback on boundary and program placement options
• December: Final recommendation to school board and potential decisions

The board is expected to vote on “a comprehensive student assignment plan that will include program placement changes, boundary adjustments, and building closures, additions and repurposing.”

Any changes would be implemented gradually over six to eight years, with the first taking effect no earlier than fall 2027.

Students line up to view a hallway parade featuring Atlanta Falcons mascot Freddie Falcon on the first day of school at Stoneview Elementary in Lithonia. Stoneview Elementary, which enrolls more than 700 students, is on the list of potential school closures in DeKalb County. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

What about career tech, magnet programs and athletics?

The district doesn’t know yet. The process starts with figuring out which of the district’s facilities have the right capacity and how suitable they are to house students. Talks about where different academic and extracurricular programs will be won’t start until the summer.

How can I weigh in on the plan?

You can review the information on the district’s website and fill out a survey. You can also attend a community meeting in the next couple of months to share your thoughts there.

In-person meetings will be held at 6 p.m. Registration is not required.

• Feb. 23: Administrative Industrial Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain
• Feb. 24: Cedar Grove High, 2360 River Road, Ellenwood
• Feb. 25: Martin Luther King Jr. High, 3991 Snapfinger Road, Lithonia
• Feb. 26: Cross Keys High, 1626 N. Druid Hills Road NE, Atlanta
• March 23: Lakeside High, 3801 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta
• March 24: Columbia High, 2106 Columbia Drive, Decatur
• March 25: Martin Luther King Jr. High, 3991 Snapfinger Road, Lithonia
• March 26: Administrative Industrial Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain