Leadership Preparatory Academy

Leadership Preparatory Academy is one of the intimate primary schools in Lithonia, Georgia, one of the schools within DeKalb County, with 268 students on its rolls from grades K through 8. By comparison, Georgia's public schools average about 605 students each, so Leadership Preparatory Academy sits 56% leaner than that benchmark.

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

Demographically, Leadership Preparatory Academy records that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (96%). Beyond that, the school lists 2% Hispanic. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 51%.

On the resource side, Leadership Preparatory Academy logs 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.7:1. The state averages around 13.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 68% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is south of DeKalb County's rate of about 77%.

With demographic context factored in, Leadership Preparatory Academy tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 42.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 35.4%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for DeKalb County put median household income runs about $80,644, 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across DeKalb County's 154 public schools (combined enrollment of about 102,960 students), Leadership Preparatory Academy is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Miller Grove High School, roughly 1.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Leadership Preparatory Academy ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 20.3%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site. As a public charter, Leadership Preparatory Academy runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Leadership Preparatory Academy has fell 42%, going from 462 students in 2018 to 268 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.