Holcomb Bridge Middle School lost more than one in five of its African American students in a single year, the sharpest percentage decline in at least 15 years of state data.
Georgia Department of Education figures, first reported by North Fulton Today, show the Roswell-area school enrolled 103 African American students in 2024-25, down from 131 the year before. That 21.4% drop brought the group's share of the student body to 17%, making African American students the second-smallest demographic at a school where Hispanic students now account for half the enrollment.
The one-year loss of 28 students is the steepest percentage decline in the 15-year data set. The previous largest single-year loss in raw numbers came between 2014-15 and 2015-16, when the count fell from 259 to 213, though the school was significantly larger then.
Fifteen years of decline
The trend stretches back more than a decade. In 2010-11, African American students made up 27% of Holcomb Bridge's enrollment (193 of 715 students). The share peaked at 32% in 2013-14, when 258 of 809 students were African American. It has fallen in most years since, landing at 17% of 607 total students last school year.
The school's overall enrollment has also shrunk, from a high of 837 in 2014-15 to 607 in 2024-25.
Broader shifts across North Fulton
Holcomb Bridge, located at 2700 Holcomb Bridge Road, feeds directly into Centennial High School. Its elementary feeders are Esther Jackson, Hillside, River Eves and Vickery Mill.
The demographic shift mirrors patterns across North Fulton feeder schools. As we reported July 27, Hispanic students made up 35% of Centennial High's enrollment in 2024-25, more than double the Fulton County Schools districtwide average. At Holcomb Bridge itself, 303 of 607 students identified as Hispanic last year. White enrollment at nearby Haynes Bridge Middle fell from 58% to 45% over the same 15-year window.
No district officials have publicly addressed the cause of the decline at Holcomb Bridge. Neither principal Jennifer Cassidy nor Board District 7 representative Dr. Michelle Morancie has commented on the data.
What's ahead
The Fulton County Board of Education holds a work session Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the FCS North Learning Center in Sandy Springs. A full board meeting follows Thursday, Aug. 20, at the South Learning Center in Union City. Neither meeting's agenda, as of Aug. 9, includes items addressing Holcomb Bridge enrollment.
Families with questions can contact the school directly through principal Cassidy's office.
