Spalding Drive Elementary School lost 13 students between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, dropping from 308 to 295 total enrolled, according to Georgia Department of Education data published Friday, July 17.

The decline continues a 15-year slide at the Fulton County school serving the Roswell-Sandy Springs corridor. In 2010-11, Spalding Drive enrolled 428 students. It has not topped 400 since 2015-16.

African American enrollment saw the sharpest single-year change. The school enrolled 73 African American students in 2024-25, down 18% from 89 the prior year. That group now represents 25% of the student body, down from 29% in 2023-24. African American students remain the second-largest demographic group at the school, according to the state data.

The 15-year enrollment table in the Georgia Department of Education's Fiscal Year 2026-1 report shows African American enrollment at Spalding Drive has fluctuated between a low of 50 students in 2019-20 and a high of 110 in 2011-12. The 2024-25 figure of 73 sits near the middle of that range but marks a sharp reversal from the 89 students counted just one year earlier.

Hispanic enrollment also fell. Spalding Drive reported 44 Hispanic students in 2024-25, a 10.2% decline from 49 in 2023-24. Hispanic students make up 15% of enrollment, the third-largest group.

No explanation for the shifts appears in the state data. The report provides enrollment counts by race and ethnicity but does not track the reasons students leave or enter a school.

Nearby schools show similar pattern

The pattern is not unique to Spalding Drive. Dolvin Elementary, another Fulton County school in the North Fulton area, saw its African American enrollment dip 5.7% in 2024-25, falling from 53 to 50 students out of a total student body of 627. African American students represent 8% of Dolvin's enrollment.

Statewide, Georgia's public schools enrolled more than 1.7 million students in 2024-25, with elementary grades accounting for 787,206 students. The state's student population is approximately 36.4% Black, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, meaning Spalding Drive's 25% African American enrollment falls below the statewide average.

Fulton County Schools operates 103 schools with its central office in Atlanta. The district's 2026-27 academic year begins Monday, August 3, according to the official calendar. Whether Spalding Drive's enrollment decline triggers any staffing or programming changes has not been addressed in public district communications.