“Overflow Parking at 4/5 Academy” Decatur GA (pic submitted by E.J.)

The chart above details student enrollment growth by grade in the City Schools of Decatur over the past year.

Even after removing the 62 enrollment student’s from the equation, growth is 10% higher than at the end of the last school year and 5% higher than projected.   Growth is not only occurring in the most talked about grade – Kindergarten – but also growing at a double-digit pace in 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th grade.  None of the three grades that experienced declines – 1st, 7th and 9th – come close to compensating for the growth in other grade levels.

Where are all these kids coming from?  In her note to the School Board prior to next week’s meeting – which is where this chart came from – Dr. Phyllis Edwards provides another layer of context…

…a good percentage are coming from out of state or out of the country. We are receiving applications from people who have bought homes in Decatur and have the paperwork in hand.

Also note that CSD originally projected that the kindergarten class for this year would decline from size of the 1st grade class .   However, the opposite is true and this year’s kindergarten class is not only bigger than the new 1st grade class, but any grade level.

Kristin Allin of Cakes & Ale sends along this note detailing their move this coming Saturday, August 8th and all that’s in store at their new, Sycamore/Church Street location come Saturday, August 16th.

There’s lots of great info in the letter (wood-burning oven, oyster bar, bakery items, new staff), but it’s a pic file and not copy-and-paste-able text, so I can’t easily insert a tease above the fold.

So click on dear friends!

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