• Media Contact: Jorge Diez, Georgia Strategy Group
    770-286-1778
    jorge@georgiastrategygroup.com

     

    Public Statement from Atlanta Public Schools August 5, 2025

    (ATLANTA, Ga.) – Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is in the planning stages of a bold and necessary effort to reshape the future of our schools through the Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan (CLFRP)— APS Forward 2040. This process is grounded in data, guided by community and staff feedback, and driven by our unwavering commitment to academic excellence, equity, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

    Tonight, the APS Community Task Force will hear a presentation outlining the initial Options Framework—a set of criteria the district is using to evaluate the future of our facilities and programs. This framework reflects months of analysis and engagement, and includes broad categories such as:

    • Unify dual campus schools
    • Create appropriate size for programmatically strong schools
    • Validate K-8 delivery model where programmatically viable
    • Build additions where necessary for overutilized facilities
    • Attract and retain students

    As part of this planning process, some school names will be mentioned to illustrate which schools may be impacted by these categories. However, no decisions have been made. No specific proposals are being presented at this time. The purpose of tonight's presentation is to provide transparency and invite additional feedback as we shape the options that will be publicly released later this month.

    The week of August 18, 2025, APS will release a video presentation outlining draft options for possible changes—such as school consolidations, closures, mergers, relocations, and new facilities. The video presentation, along with a companion document and new feedback survey, will be posted on the APS Forward 2040 dashboard: www.atlantapublicschools.us/APS2040.

    The public will have time to review the materials and provide feedback through the survey before the next public meeting on Monday, August 25, 2025. That meeting will be held virtually at 12 PM and in person at 6 PM. There will be at least six additional opportunities to attend a meeting and provide input, including community-specific cluster meetings, additional public meetings, and open task force sessions. Please refer to the Engagement Opportunities flyer and the APS Forward 2040 dashboard (www.atlantapublicschools.us/APS2040) for a full schedule of dates and times.

    These options are being developed with a relentless focus on continuous improvement in student outcomes, expanded programming, and increased equity and access to resources such as:

    • Counselors, learning coaches, and wraparound services
    • Early learning centers, family/community hubs, and after-school programs
    • College and career readiness programs
    • Affordable staff housing and professional learning space

    We want to be clear:

    • No Task Force member is making decisions about specific schools. Their role is to provide critical insight from the community.
    • All existing cluster boundaries will remain in place unless all other options have been exhausted.
    • APS remains committed to the cluster model and intends to evolve it into a more robust regional concept within 3–5 years, giving families multiple learning pathways while preserving feeder patterns.
    • Single-gender schools will continue to be supported.
    • Any unused buildings will be repurposed or returned to serve community needs.
    • The district must prepare for the end of Small School Supplement funding in 2026–27 and align with state-funded enrollment models.
    • All planning accounts for every student living within each school boundary.

    We invite all members of the APS community—families, students, staff, and residents—to get involved. There are many opportunities to learn more and share your voice. Public meeting details, Task Force observation opportunities, and the engagement timeline are all available at www.atlantapublicschools.us/APS2040.

    Together, we are reimagining what is possible for every student. APS Forward 2040 is not about change for change’s sake—it’s about raising the bar and building a stronger, more equitable school district for the future of Atlanta.