In some of the largest school systems in Georgia, hundreds of families are waiting for coveted seats to open up in pre-kindergarten classrooms.

Kasey Kahn’s family was one of those last year, when they waited for a spot for their daughter, Charlie, to attend pre-K at Virginia Highland Elementary in Atlanta Public Schools. They were No. 12 on the waitlist and had already enrolled her in a private school for the year.

“I didn’t assume we would ever have a shot at getting a spot,” she said. “It was a bummer, but we were in good company with all of our friends.”

But six days into the academic year, they got some good news. Charlie did get a spot at the school a few blocks from their house, and she started the next day. Now she’s a kindergartener on the campus.

Kahn knows other families who were on waitlists more than 80 students long. None made it into the public schools they were aiming for. It’s part of why metro Atlanta school systems are looking to add more pre-K seats.

Atlanta Public Schools wants to expand their number of pre-K seats by 2030, as well as start offering seats to 3-year-olds. The DeKalb County School District is considering adding more early learning centers as part of its ongoing redistricting process. And City Schools of Decatur will likely ask the public to green-light its own early learning center, though the project has been marred with controversy.

The interest in adding more space for those young children comes as each district has introduced plans in recent months to close some schools, citing low enrollment in higher grades.

Experts: Early ed equals better outcomes

Better utilizing underused schools is one of the reasons early learning classes are attractive to school districts, said Steve Barnett, the director of the National Institute for Early Education Research. They’re also shown to improve academic outcomes, better prepare students behaviorally for a traditional school day and provide an opportunity to screen students for disabilities and start interventions early.

“If states are focused on all kids reading by third grade, providing a strong foundation before they reach kindergarten is one way to help achieve that goal,” Barnett said.

Parents are interested too, according to data obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via open records requests. Roughly 2,900 families in Atlanta Public Schools and DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties applied to go to a public school for pre-K but were put on a waitlist in the 2025-2026 school year.

“We have seen a true increase in applicants and requests for students to participate in our (pre-K programs) these last several years,” said Kiana King, the interim chief of student services in DeKalb schools. “We often do have a waitlist.”

This year, 1,100 students were on waitlists across DeKalb County. In Atlanta Public Schools, it was 500. In Fulton County, it was more than 1,000.

Cassandra Boatwright helps pre-K students at the DeKalb Early Learning Center on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Atlanta. The DeKalb County School District is considering adding more early learning centers. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Often, waitlists have to do less with available capacity in an area, but with high interest in a particular school or program, said Mindy Binderman, the outgoing executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students.

“In certain programs I’m sure there is a waiting list,” she said. “A mile down the road, there may be spots available at another pre-K program. So if they don’t get their first choice, usually they have other choices available.”

Georgia offers universal pre-K, meaning all 4-year-olds can attend for free. In addition to public schools, parents can choose quality-rated private providers, which must adhere to the same standards as public schools.

Often, waitlists have to do less with available capacity in an area but with high interest in a particular school or program, Mindy Binderman says. (Courtesy)

More national interest

Georgia follows the national trend toward increased pre-K spending in recent years. The state budgets roughly $500 million for pre-K services annually via the Georgia Lottery, including a recent investment to reduce class sizes and increase teacher pay.

But while national pre-K enrollment is increasing, Georgia’s enrollment numbers have dipped, according to NIEER’s most recent research. Just over half of the state’s 4-year-olds, or 55%, were enrolled in a state-funded program in the 2023-2024 school year. That’s down from 60% in the 2019-2020 school year. Still, Georgia is one of only 11 states in which more than half of 4-year-olds attend a state-funded preschool.

In Atlanta Public Schools, expanding early learning is part of the district’s plan for improvement by 2030. APS has more than 40 elementary schools, and currently offers pre-K for 4-year-olds in 38 of them. And they’re in the beginning stages of figuring out how to offer pre-K for 3-year-olds as well.

It’s a heavier lift to add classes for 3-year-olds, who aren’t funded through the lottery program like 4-year-olds. Younger children also require a higher ratio of adults in a room, which drives costs up. But it’s worth it to APS, said Joanne Wyckoff, the district’s director of early learning.

“We know that the earlier we get our children the better it is,” she said.

Expanding to younger students makes sense to Kahn, whose 3-year-old son currently attends a private preschool program.

“If they can find a way to do it and do it effectively, it would be a tremendous asset to the city,” she said.

The wait for more classrooms

It could be several years before more pre-K seats become available in metro Atlanta school systems. They must get approval from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. This year, public school systems asked to open 41 classes, which would serve 820 students, records show.

The DeKalb County School District, the state’s third-largest school system but largest pre-K provider, asked the state department to open three new classrooms. The district currently enrolls about 3,300 pre-K students, and has seen an increase in interest in recent years.