As a Buckhead real estate professional, I’ve been tracking developments around the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Forward 2040 Comprehensive Long Range Facilities Plan — particularly the implications for our highly regarded Morris Brandon Elementary School and the broader Buckhead real estate market.

After months of study, debate, community advocacy (including strong engagement from groups like Save Brandon), and a consequential APS Board of Education vote in December 2025, here’s the most reliable, up-to-date information on where things stand — especially regarding the 2026–2027 school year and potential changes that could come later.

What the APS Forward 2040 Plan Is — and Why It Matters

In late 2025, the APS Board of Education unanimously adopted a sweeping facilities plan designed to right-size the district’s footprint in response to decades-long enrollment declines. The district currently has capacity for roughly 70,000 students but enrolls only about 50,000, and officials argue this imbalance drives inefficiency, maintenance costs, and undermines funding sustainability. (ajc)

The plan calls for closing, repurposing, merging, or consolidating roughly 16 schools district-wide and redrawing attendance zones over the next several years. (FOX 5 Atlanta)

However — and this is critically important — *the changes approved so far are not scheduled to take effect until after the 2026-27 school year. The initial closures and repurposing efforts are planned to begin in the 2027-28 school year, giving families, staff, and communities time to prepare and APS time to thoughtfully manage transitions. (ajc)

Morris Brandon’s Status for the 2026–27 School Year

Good news for Buckhead families:

Morris Brandon Elementary will operate under its current configuration for the 2026-2027 school year.
No closures, no boundary reassignments, and no campus restructuring have been formally adopted for implementation in 2026-27. (ajc)

This outcome reflects both APS’s own implementation timeline and community feedback, including advocacy from local parents and groups like Save Brandon, who urged APS to preserve the school’s structure at least through the next academic year. (Axios)

That stability matters — not just for current students and families, but also for buyers evaluating Buckhead homes right now. School continuity and clarity around zoning greatly influence residential demand and home values, and the absence of a looming boundary change for Morris Brandon in 2026-27 is reassuring for both buyers and sellers.

What Might Change in 2027–28 — and Why It’s Still Early

While nothing is finalized for Morris Brandon beyond the 2026-27 year, the Forward 2040 plan does include broader structural changes that APS will implement beginning in the fall of 2027. (ajc)

Here’s what’s emerging:

• APS will adopt new attendance zones for all schools district-wide in 2026 (for use starting in 2027-28). These zones will reflect the closures, consolidations, and repurposings approved under Forward 2040. (ajc)
• Early versions of the Long Range Facilities Plan included scenarios that might have split dual-campus schools — including Morris Brandon — into separate K-5 models or significantly reconfigured them. Those scenarios drew strong pushback from parents and Buckhead stakeholders. (Axios)
• In response to community feedback, APS presented updated proposals in late 2025 that kept Morris Brandon and Sutton Middle operating as dual campuses and did not propose immediate boundary changes for the North Atlanta Cluster. (Buckhead)
• APS still plans to conduct further community engagement and boundary review work throughout Spring–Fall 2026, and the Board will vote on new zones in late 2026 — these could take effect in the 2027-28 school year. (ajc)

So the bottom line is this:

Morris Brandon has stability through 2026-27.
Potential boundary adjustments or flow changes could come for 2027-28 — but no final decisions affecting Morris Brandon have been adopted yet.

Why This Matters for Buckhead Real Estate

Understanding the APS planning process is critical for Buckhead homeowners and buyers, because:

1. Stable School Zoning Supports Property Values

Buyers — especially families with school-aged children — prioritize clarity around school assignments. A stable zone for Morris Brandon during 2026-27 helps sustain demand for homes in and near its attendance area.

2. Future Zone Adjustments Can Influence Demand

If attendance zone boundaries change for 2027-28 in ways that shift portions of Buckhead into schools with different performance measures, that could influence buyer sentiment — and, subsequently, price dynamics. We’re monitoring these updates closely alongside APS community engagement timelines.

3. Community Advocacy Has Impact

The strong engagement from Buckhead families (including meetings, social media advocacy, and organized efforts like Save Brandon) helped shift APS toward proposals that preserve local school models — at least in the short term. That’s a reminder that informed community voice matters in shaping educational policy that intersects with real estate. (Buckhead)

Looking Ahead

Here’s what to watch next:

Spring–Summer 2026: APS conducts boundary review and community engagement sessions
Fall 2026: APS Board votes on new attendance zones
2027-28 School Year: Initial closures/repurposings and new zone boundaries take effect

And as always, I’ll continue to share updates that impact how school developments intersect with Buckhead real estate values, buyer decision-making, and market trends. Please reach out to me with any questions! Information in this blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.