FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — At a Tuesday Fulton County Board of Education meeting, members of the board discussed closing two elementary schools in the district due to lower enrollment levels.
The two schools highlighted for potential closure were Parklane Elementary School and Spalding Drive Elementary School, in East Point and Sandy Springs, respectively.
Discussion at the board meeting was focused on closure and consolidation, with officials going over enrollment data across the Fulton County school district.
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Speaking with Channel 2 Action News, school officials said the presentation and discussion came as the county weighs new strategies to handle lower numbers of students, and how it’s creating “excess classroom space throughout the school system.”
The district said the biggest declines in student populations were at the elementary school level, but that a similar trend had also impacted middle and high schools in the county.
Official Fulton County Schools policy states that “schools with enrollment below specific thresholds are administratively expensive to maintain” or operate, and the resources to run an optimal educational program with the necessary support staff is not available.
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For elementary schools, the threshold is 450 students, while it rises to 600 students for middle schools and 700 for high schools.
At Parklane Elementary School, the board presentation showed there were only 351 students and only 349 at Spalding Drive Elementary for the 2024-2025 school year.
Looking to the future, the board presentation projected there would be even fewer students by the 2028 school year.
While the possible closures were mentioned, it’s still early. School officials told Channel 2 Action News that Tuesday’s meeting was just an early part of the process. Going forward, the Fulton County Board of Education will be releasing more of the logistical data and other details, as well as scheduling a series of public comment hearings for parents.
Dates for the meetings have not been set yet, but school officials said there will be one in October, one in November and one in December, before a vote on closing or consolidating the schools ever takes place. Those meetings will also include information about drawing new attendance boundaries to help balance enrollments among neighboring schools, if a closure or consolidation happens.
Additionally, the district told Channel 2 Action News that after reviewing school data, the Board told staff at the school district to start engaging the community about the closures.
“Data for the north Fulton region also was examined, and Board members directed staff to postpone a similar conversation with the community until 2027 so that recommendations can be incorporated into the next five-year capital plan,” according to the district.
Board member will be given a formal recommendation in February, with any possible changes to impact the 2025-2026 school year.
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