DeKalb Schools Offer Four Options to Fix 178% Overcrowding at Ashford Park

DeKalb County School District leaders released a third proposal for redrawing attendance zones in the county's northern neighborhoods on October 29. The plan addresses severe overcrowding and presents four distinct options for creating middle school capacity near Cross Keys High School.

Ashford Park Elementary School in Brookhaven currently operates at 178% of its capacity. The school relies on classroom trailers to accommodate the extra students. District officials paused earlier plans that proposed closing more than two dozen schools after receiving heavy pushback from parents.

Jennifer Caracciolo, the district's deputy chief communications officer, stated that planners identified three elementary schools that could be converted into middle schools: Woodward, Dresden, and John Lewis. The first option keeps the Cross Keys cluster without a dedicated middle school. The other three options involve converting one of those elementary sites.

Converting Woodward Elementary would require moving the high achiever magnet program. The program would shift from Chamblee Middle School to Henderson Middle School and from Chamblee High School to Cross Keys High School.

If the school board adopts the plan, elementary and middle school boundary changes would take effect in the fall of 2027. High school adjustments would not take effect before 2029. Students entering grades 5, 8, 11, and 12 would be allowed to apply to stay at their current schools if their zones change.

The district has not announced a date for the final board vote on the preferred option. Administrators have also not released final cost projections or funding sources for the facility conversions. The third phase of community engagement is underway, featuring an online survey and virtual focus groups.

In-person feedback forums are scheduled for Druid Hills Middle School at 6 p.m. on November 4 and Dunwoody High School at 6 p.m. on November 5. A final round of engagement sessions is planned for December. The district will submit the final plan to the board after those sessions conclude.