In the 2024-25 school year, Vanderlyn Elementary School recorded 34 African American students, reflecting a 3% increase from the prior year, data from the Georgia Department of Education shows.
The school’s overall enrollment reached 425 students in 2024-25. African American students accounted for 8% of the population, ranking as the third-smallest demographic group at the school.
Vanderlyn Elementary School is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is headquartered in Decatur.
Out of all 129 schools in the DeKalb County School District, Lithonia High School reported the highest number of African American students for 2024-25, with 1,288 enrolled.
Georgia public schools enrolled over 1.7 million students, as reported in the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report. Most students were in elementary grades (787,206, or 45.9%), followed by 388,733 in middle school (22.7%) and 539,092 in high school (31.4%).
Chronic absenteeism remains a significant concern in Georgia schools since the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. To address this, GaDOE has implemented a statewide initiative featuring a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and focused support for districts with the greatest needs to improve attendance.
In 2025, Georgia legislators approved a bill revising school attendance regulations, prohibiting expulsion solely for absenteeism. The new law also introduces additional reporting requirements and supports alternative diploma pathways for students.
By 2026, Georgia’s average student-to-teacher ratio was about 14:1, slightly better than the national ratio of 15:1.
| School Year | Total Enrollment | Total African American students | % of African American students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 809 | 24 | 3% |
| 2011-12 | 689 | 34 | 5% |
| 2012-13 | 749 | 29 | 4% |
| 2013-14 | 740 | 29 | 4% |
| 2014-15 | 707 | 21 | 3% |
| 2015-16 | 680 | 20 | 3% |
| 2016-17 | 677 | 20 | 3% |
| 2017-18 | 659 | 26 | 4% |
| 2018-19 | 644 | 25 | 4% |
| 2019-20 | 652 | 19 | 3% |
| 2020-21 | 545 | 32 | 6% |
| 2021-22 | 455 | 31 | 7% |
| 2022-23 | 422 | 33 | 8% |
| 2023-24 | 424 | 33 | 8% |
| 2024-25 | 425 | 34 | 8% |
