As Cobb County students headed back to school this week, education leaders thought they were going to exceed student enrollment expectations. But it turned out to be a false alarm.

Tuesday’s enrollment was 107,452, just under the projected 108,716, which is “perfectly normal,” according to Jay Dillon, director of communications for Cobb schools.

The system – Georgia’s second-largest — usually gains about 2,000-3,000 students over the first few weeks of school, sometimes more, Dillon said.

Education leaders were concerned on the first day of school Monday because the first reported registered enrollment number came in at more than 113,000.

“That number is always higher than the number of kids who actually end up showing up at school,” Dillon said. “That’s because there are a lot of parents who enroll their kids, but the kids never show up at school because the family moves, or for some other reason.”

“We knew actual enrollment would be lower, but still, 113,000 was a big number and more than we were expecting. As it turned out, only 107,452 have shown up so far, but we expect that number to grow over the next couple of weeks.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Sheree Smith (left) casts her ballot at Wolf Creek Library in Atlanta on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. In addition to municipal races for mayors, city councils and school board members, this year’s election also will decide the members of the Georgia Public Service Commission. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Featured

Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC