Reflecting growth in the northern portion of the district, the Carroll County Board of Education approved a new strategic initiative that shifts multiple school attendance zones at the Board Meeting on December 11, 2023. The new attendance zones will be effective beginning in August 2024.
The strategy includes master plans for each campus and attendance zone changes that impact all five clusters of schools in the system and are aimed at better distributing enrollment growth that is occurring primarily in the northeastern portion of Carroll County. Overall the changes shift attendance zones east, sending about 450 Villa Rica students to the Central, Mount Zion and Temple zones. The Central zone loses about 120 students north of Carrollton to the Mount Zion district, while about 30 students are shifted from the west of the Temple cluster to Mount Zion. Finally, the Bowdon zone gains about 220 students from the western and southern parts of the Mount Zion zone.
“Thanks to very detailed and thorough master planning, we know the current capacity of each campus and the expected enrollment change over the next five years,” Cowart said. “Using these projections, we are able to shift students to schools that have more capacity. We also work closely with our transportation department to align our attendance zones with bus routes and Carroll County’s network of streets and roads.”
The projections take into account construction projects that will expand school capacity over that time frame, Cowart said.
“We take a very strategic approach to planning for the future for all of our schools,” board chairman Bryant Turner said. “Our board is most thankful for the hard work the staff has provided for us to best make these decisions. The ultimate goal is to be sure we continue to provide premier opportunities to every student.”
In addition to the attendance zone changes and campus construction projects, the system is providing multiple student scheduling models that address individual student needs and also help alleviate capacity constraints at individual campuses.
“We are thankful to our school board members for taking the time to go with us on a deep dive into enrollment growth and the student capacity of each individual school,” Cowart said. “While this is a far-reaching plan, we believe it addresses growth we are already seeing in a strategic and proactive way that allows for more growth down the road.”
While all clusters of schools are impacted, not every individual school will see changes. In January, the district will mail a letter to all families affected by the attendance line adjustments to explain the waiver process for students who want to stay in their existing school. In-person information sessions will be held in zones receiving new students so that families can tour the schools and meet administrators.
