Jam-packed hallways, overfilled classrooms, and overrun stairways. As the largest school within Atlanta Public Schools, North Atlanta boasts an impressive 2,307 student population, up from 2,279 from last year. Despite its massive 11-story building, North Atlanta may soon find itself out of room in the coming years. This speedy population growth poses more than just a problem for students trying to get to their classes on time, as many teachers have already begun to feel the implications of an increased number of students.
Over the previous 10 years, North Atlanta has increased its student enrollment by 783 students, starting at just 1524 students in 2013. This surge in student population means there are more students in each classroom than in the past. Tightly packed classrooms can make teaching difficult for teachers. Mr. Robinson, a World History teacher at North Atlanta, has observed a notable change in the number of students in his classes. “My classes are definitely larger than last year. Last year at this time I had about 130 students, this year I have around 150.” said Robinson. “It hasn’t affected how well I teach, but there’s definitely been an increase in the workload. There’s a lot more grading to be done.”
After their classes and lunches, students must fight their way through the halls and into the elevators so they can make it to their next class before the bell rings. Oftentimes, the commute from class to class is lengthy, with many students having classes that span numerous levels of North Atlanta’s 11-story building. During these eight-minute transition periods, students struggle through the halls so they can avoid being marked tardy. “After lunch, there’s not much time and the elevator lines are super long,” said junior Henry Katz “I’m always pushing and shoving my way up the stairs as fast as I possibly can. If I get a tardy, my mom will take away my Nintendo Switch privileges for a whole month.”
Students aren’t solely facing the results of North Atlanta’s growing student population strictly in the hallways. In some classes, a shortage of desks has forced students to take a seat in unusual places, and schedule changes are expected in an attempt to relieve this stress. Junior student Noah Salzman said, “during the first couple days of school, I had to take a seat by the computers in one of my classes because the classroom didn’t have enough desks.”
North Atlanta has been pulling students in, year after year, and it doesn’t look like there is an end to this growth in sight. Although its growth is impressive, North Atlanta’s large student enrollment is beginning to affect both students and teachers throughout all aspects of their day.
