DeKalb Arts Academy

DeKalb Arts Academy is a middle-of-the-pack elementary campus in Avondale Estates, Georgia, one of the schools within DeKalb County. The school teaches 768 students in grades K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 605 students per school, that is 27% above typical.

Across the 131 schools in DeKalb County (92,088 students total), DeKalb Arts Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, DeKalb Arts Academy records that 82% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Beyond that, the school shows 6% multiracial, 6% White, 4% Hispanic. By comparison, DeKalb County as a whole is about 51% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, DeKalb Arts Academy has 52 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.3:1, putting DeKalb Arts Academy higher than the state norm the norm. About 76% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, DeKalb Arts Academy sits in the top 10% of Georgia schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 38.1%; actual is 54.5%, +16.5 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for DeKalb County indicate median household income runs about $80,644, 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. DeKalb Arts Academy is one of 154 public schools in DeKalb County (combined enrollment of about 102,960 students).

Nearest neighbor: Avondale Elementary School, around 0.4 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), DeKalb Arts Academy ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 48.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 36%: 563 students in 2018 compared to 768 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 94% to 82% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 today.

Inside the community feed, members of the DeKalb Arts Academy community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.