DeKalb County School District has dropped a fresh Round 2 list of potential school changes, reshuffling which campuses could close, be repurposed or see their grade bands reworked as the system tries to "rightsize" around shrinking enrollment. In a notable switch, Rock Chapel and Stoneview are no longer on the earlier potential closure list, while Fairington, Oakview and the district's Early Learning Center are now newly in the mix. District leaders are stressing that none of this is final and say community feedback will drive what happens next.
What the Round 2 list says
The Round 2 materials outline more than 20 elementary schools that could be closed or repurposed and flag several possible grade-band shifts across clusters, as detailed by the DeKalb County School District. The document cites campuses including Brockett, Browns Mill, Canby Lane, Columbia, Evansdale, Flat Shoals, Henderson Mill, Kelly Lake, Kingsley, McLendon, Midvale, Oak Grove, Oakview, Robert Shaw Theme, Rowland, Stone Mill, Stone Mountain, Toney, Woodbridge and Redan as candidates to either close or be repurposed. It also shows Cedar Grove Middle potentially converting to an elementary school while Cedar Grove Elementary would take on the middle school role, along with other possible building reconfigurations.
Shifts from the first scenarios
Compared with the first round of proposals, Rock Chapel Elementary and Stoneview Elementary, two schools that appeared on the initial list, have been pulled from the closure slate, while Fairington Elementary, Oakview Elementary and the Early Learning Center were newly identified, according to Atlanta News First. District officials say those adjustments reflect community feedback that rolled in after the initial scenarios were released in February.
Why the district is moving ahead
District leadership points to long-term enrollment declines as the driver behind the review. The system was built to serve about 110,000 students but currently enrolls around 92,000, leaving roughly 20,000 empty seats that officials say strain budgets and programs. As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, the Student Assignment Project is designed to concentrate resources and preserve program quality rather than trigger immediate cuts. The district has said it does not plan to bring final recommendations until Fall 2026, and any resulting changes would roll out gradually over several years.
Community reaction so far
Public feedback sessions in February and March drew dozens of parents and local leaders who pressed the district on its data, timelines and decision-making and some pledged to fight any closures, according to local coverage. WSB-TV noted that parents raised alarms about losing neighborhood school communities and questioned potential impacts on commute times, staffing and what might ultimately happen to buildings taken out of school use.
How to weigh in
The district is gathering input on the Round 2 scenarios through an online survey along with a series of in-person and virtual meetings, with the portal open through April 12. The Round 2 page includes cluster videos, FAQs and the survey itself to help families sort through the options on the table. As laid out by the DeKalb County School District, meeting dates and related resources are posted for parents, staff and neighborhood stakeholders.
What’s next
The district says it will use the latest wave of feedback to refine the scenarios and return with updated proposals before any board vote. Final recommendations are expected to go to the Board of Education this fall, and actual implementation would be phased in over six to eight years, according to the district and coverage of the process. In the meantime, families and advocates say they plan to keep the pressure on elected board members as the district moves from scenario-building toward concrete boundary changes and decisions about how any closed campuses might be reused.
