Atlanta Public Schools is moving into the next phase of a complex redistricting plan which includes the closure of schools and sale of property due to a $100 million budget shortfall, low enrollment, and dwindling birthrates.
APS Forward 2040 is the district’s roadmap for the next 10 to 15 years, approved in December 2025. The phased approach to redistricting and repurposing APS-owned property will affect 7.5% of the district’s 39,000 students. Sixteen schools would be impacted by the closure, consolidation, and repurposing plan.
Five under-enrolled schools are slated for closure: Cleveland Elementary in Browns Mill Park, Continental Colony Elementary in Greenbriar, Dunbar Elementary in Mechanicsville, F.L. Stanton Elementary in Mozley Park, and Peyton Forest Elementary in Peyton Forest.
Parkside Elementary in Grant Park stands to be divided, and Sylvan Hills Middle will become an elementary school, merging students from Finch and Perkerson. Two Kipp Schools and the STEAM program at Carver High School have already closed.
Phase II of the APS Forward 2040 plan was detailed at the Sept. 1 Atlanta School Board meeting.
“Any student that’s being impacted, we want to handle that with care. We’re committed to keeping the continuity where possible through grandfathering, which is defined as allowing an existing rule to be followed after a new rule takes place,” Deputy Superintendent of Operational Efficiency Kenneth Bradshaw said.
Open until Sept. 13, APS is asking families to take a school attendance zone survey. A community meeting will be held at six locations on Sept. 24. The input will be used in final recommendations presented to the Atlanta School Board. A vote by the BOE is scheduled for Dec. 7.
Bradshaw said the goal of APS Forward 2040 is “to become a new school system by modernizing our campuses, increasing more Advanced Placement (AP) access in our schools, and reactivating spaces for community good.”
“We heard loud and clear that we have a history of leaving blight and creating blight in our neighborhoods,” Community Development Officer Chelsea Montgomery said. “We are committed to not creating new blight, but also to bringing life to existing blighted properties.”
Montgomery noted the former Lakewood Heights Elementary School will finally be transformed into affordable housing after nearly five years of discussion – along with seven other commitments to turn APS property into affordable housing. The remaining sites have been marked for historic preservation, green spaces, and community hubs.
Major construction projects will take place at Midtown High School, Washington High School, Maynard Jackson High School, APS Medical Academy, and School of the Arts at Carver High School, among others.
“We are moving forward by design to expand access and opportunity, improve our student experience, and maximize our resources,” Montgomery said.
APS Forward 2040 is funded by E-SPLOST (Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), forecasted at $831 million if the referendum is approved by voters in November. E-SPLOST spending is limited to construction, technology, transportation, and security; it cannot be used for salaries in the school system.
