The DeKalb County School District on Thursday celebrated one of its newest elementary schools.
Doraville United Elementary School opened with virtual classes in August 2020 and began holding in-person classes in March 2021. This week, district officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The school was built to relieve the overcrowded Cary Reynolds, Hightower and Dresden elementary schools. There was a process to allow fifth graders to stay at their original school last year, but not many took advantage of the option.
“There were very few parents that wanted to remain at their feeder school,” a district spokeswoman said in an email. “(They) were truly excited for their students to attend a brand-new school.”
The 119,000-square-foot facility can serve 1,200 students. This year’s enrollment is 686.
The DeKalb County School District is planning major construction projects at more than a dozen schools over the next 10 years as part of a plan to relieve both overcrowding and underutilization.
“The design of Doraville United Elementary is a state-of-the-art facility focusing on creating the best environment for students to learn and teachers to teach,” a district news release said.
The district partnered with Emory Health Care System to create a full health clinic at the school that will serve students and the community.
The school was formerly known as Doraville Elementary. It was founded in 1866 and closed in 1964.
School officials installed a bell from the original Doraville Elementary on the new campus during the ribbon-cutting ceremony “to symbolize the connection to the past,” the news release said.
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