Charted: Atlanta Public Schools' enrollment dips
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Student enrollment at Atlanta Public Schools has dropped by 6% percent — amounting to over 2,600 students — from the 2019 to 2022 academic years, according to the Brookings Institution.
- That's higher than the national enrollment decline of 3%.
Why it matters: Most states allocate school funding based on student populations. Losing students can result in cuts for classes, extracurriculars or sports as a result of lower demand.
- More school districts could close schools in response to the imbalance, the Wall Street Journal reported.
By the numbers: Among the three metro Atlanta school districts mentioned in the Brookings report, APS saw the largest change in students enrolled in traditional public schools.
- The Cobb County School District, Georgia's second-largest school system behind Gwinnett County, saw a 4.6% decline. That's over 5,000 students.
- Gwinnett County Public Schools grew by nearly 1%, an additional 1,558 students.
Caveat: The Brookings data does not include charter schools, virtual schools, alternative schools and adult centers.
- An APS spokesperson said their district only saw 4% drop in student enrollment from the 2019 to 2022 academic years when including those enrolled in alternative and virtual schools.
The big picture: Enrollment dipped nationwide among urban school districts immediately after the Covid pandemic — possibly due to homelessness, mental and emotional health issues, gentrification of neighborhoods, and a lack of affordable housing — an APS spokesperson said.
- The AJC reported in 2022 that APS' enrollment projections for the next decade have dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What they're saying: A Cobb schools spokesperson said in a statement that there's more demand for non-traditional options — more than 107,000 Cobb families annually choose traditional schools, and over 5,000 families annually prefer one of their online options.
Stunning stat: Except for the 2020 academic year amid the pandemic, Gwinnett's schools' enrollment has increased annually for over 40 years, according to a district spokesperson.
Go deeper: America's school surplus is hurting some students