Schools

By the Numbers: Dunwoody vs. DeKalb School System

During a presentation of the report at last Monday's City Council meeting, Robert Wittenstein provided a brief picture of a Dunwoody school system compared to Dekalb.

Dunwoody is on the road to forming its own school system. The city recently released a feasibility report by the community group, Dunwoody Parents Concerned About Quality Education.

During a presentation of the report at last Monday’s City Council meeting, Robert Wittenstein provided a brief picture of a Dunwoody school system compared to DeKalb.

  • The DeKalb cluster that Dunwoody represents has 6,000 students. 
  • Dunwoody represents 6 percent of the population with 1 high school, 1 middle school and 5 elementary schools. 
  • Hightower Elementary School on Tilly Mill Road is outside of the City of Dunwoody. It would remain part of DeKalb County Schools, but 200 students would enter the Dunwoody school system. Several hundred students who attended Hightower and went on to middle school or high school in Dunwoody would be placed in DeKalb County Schools.
  • Student population at DeKalb schools is 68 percent black, 11 percent white, 14 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian. Eighteen percent of students live in homes where English is the second language. 
  • In a Dunwoody school system, student population would be 51 percent white, 17 percent black, 17 percent Hispanic, 12 percent Asian. Twenty-five percent of students would live in homes where English is a second language.

Wittenstein explained that school revenue comes from property tax revenue and state and federal funding. 

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The state and federal funds formulas are designed to equalize spending on students between richer and poor districts, he said. Under its own school system Dunwoody’s share of revenue would go down, and the new school system’s revenue would be dependent on locally raised property taxes, he said. 


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