Keep Sagamore rooted in Lakeside.
DeKalb's School Attendance Planning (SAP) process has reached Engagement Session 2 — and Concept A would send 20% of Henderson Middle School to Cross Keys High School, breaking a feeder pattern that has worked for our neighborhood for years. Here's what's at stake, and how to make sure Sagamore's voice is heard.
Tonight: SAP Public Meeting
- Date
- September 22 — Today
- Time
- 6:00 – 8:00pm
- Location
- Tucker High School
Sign-ups to speak are closed, but presence matters. We need as big a Sagamore turnout as possible — wear your spirit wear or neighborhood colors so the room can see how many of us showed up. You'll also hear directly from the district about SAP plans.
Why the survey matters now
Elementary options in this session have limited direct impact on Sagamore Hills. Middle school options do not — and feedback here will shape Engagement Session 3, where Henderson has been proposed as a split feeder to both Cross Keys and Lakeside High Schools. Sagamore's voice needs to be loud in this survey. Multiple parents per household can respond, and neighbors without currently enrolled children can respond too.
Keep Sagamore in Lakeside.
Concept A's problems run against the exact drivers the SAP process says it's trying to solve for.
Geographic proximity
Safety, walkability, and bikeability matter. Sagamore Hills students can reach Lakeside through the surrounding neighborhood street network. Reaching Cross Keys means crossing I-85 — a dangerous, congested intersection. Proximity means shorter commutes, less transportation burden, more student independence, and stronger neighborhood connections.
Instructional capacity
Cross Keys' available seats are needed to serve overcrowded Brookhaven and Chamblee communities. Even with added seats, Cross Keys cannot absorb Sagamore Hills students on top of the changes already proposed north of I-85. The north portion of Henderson's district is better served by Sequoyah HS's far greater capacity — an option that's noticeably absent from the middle school proposals.
Projected enrollment
Sagamore enrollment is declining while the northern Lakeside cluster is growing. Longer term, the most efficient and proximal way to relieve overcrowding at Henderson is realigning Pleasantdale and Evansdale to Sequoyah HS — not moving Sagamore.
The straightforward feeder pattern works.
Concept B is a clean, one-to-one match — no splits. Safer, more predictable traffic patterns, intact neighborhoods, and feeders that stay aligned. It's the option that solves for the same goals SAP set out with, without breaking anything that already works.
Lakeside Cluster students deserve stronger grade 6-8 programs
The district should offer equitable access to specialized programs at Henderson. For rising middle schoolers, none are currently slated — both the accelerated team and the STEM team have recently been removed. Sagamore is a STEM-certified school, and families want that rigor to continue into middle school as preparation for high school and beyond.
Magnet program participation is already uneven: in 2025, Kittredge enrollment was 116 from the Chamblee cluster versus 66 from Lakeside — despite Lakeside being the larger cluster. Henderson's inability to offer options for high achievers pushes strong students toward private school at late elementary and middle school, which makes overcrowding at Lakeside HS harder to assess and anticipate.
Make Sagamore's voice heard.
Respond to the SAP survey before Engagement Session 3 — every parent in the household can submit, and so can neighbors without kids currently enrolled. Then show up tonight at Tucker High School so the district sees how many of us care.