Dalton Public Schools plans to reorganize two middle school campuses and change how students are funneled to high schools for the fall 2027 school year.
(Read more: Prep notebook: Dalton football trio gaining major recruiting attention)
Officials will hold community meetings at area schools to discuss and answer questions about the changes.
The new plan is set to create two traditional middle schools with sixth, seventh and eighth grade out of Hammond Creek Middle School and Dalton Junior High School. Currently, Hammond Creek has sixth and seventh grades and the junior high has eighth grade only.
From there, new zoning maps will channel students to Dalton High School or Dalton Academy. A press release said that families’ current zoning will be minimally affected.
The change has been spearheaded by Superintendent Steven Craft and will set the district up for small class sizes and close-knit community schools as families move through the system together, district spokesperson Kendra Pannell said by phone Thursday.
Pannell said the district has been making plans for this redesign for “years and years” and through “several superintendents,” with collaboration from the Board of Education.
Teachers will be shuffled slightly and building updates will be so small, she said, that there is no cost estimate for the change. In fact, the district may save money with tighter bus routes in true zones. That will also shorten student wait and ride times, she said.
The district has published the current and proposed zoning maps on its website.
“We’ll listen carefully to the questions and concerns raised over the coming weeks and consider them as implementation planning continues,” Pannell said in an email. “If feedback points to areas that need further consideration, we’ll review those through the district’s planning process.”
Current enrollment
Hammond Creek Middle School: Enrollment 1,068 students. Student-teacher ratio: 12:1.
Dalton Junior High School : Enrollment 502. Student-teacher ratio: 10:1.
Dalton High School: Enrollment 1,684. Student-teacher ratio: 17:1.
Dalton Academy: Enrollment 516. Student-teacher ratio: 9:1.
The district will continue to gauge public input through community meetings listed below. All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday — Blue Ridge School cafeteria
- Wednesday — Hammond Creek Middle School cafeteria
- Thursday — Dalton Middle School cafeteria
- Nov. 17 — Park Creek School cafeteria
- Nov. 19 — City Park School auditorium
Contact education and opportunity reporter Hannah Campbell at hcampbell@timesfreepress.com.