Forsyth County Schools announced in September that they would be redistricting students to accommodate for Denmark High School which will open its doors in 2018.

The County has cited overcrowding as the primary reason for constructing the school. The school wants to maintain a maximum of 2,400 students. According, to the current plans South would open the 2018 school year with 2,436 students, Lambert would have 2,585, and West would have 2,405 students.

The county plans to move 226 students from West to Denmark and 1,604 students from South. An additional 380 students would be moved from Lambert to South by August of 2018. Rising 12th graders will not be affected by redistricting, and they will remain at their current schools.

Feeder patterns are also being adjusted to accommodate for these new high schools. Specifically, Silver City, Chestatee, and Chattahoochee middle schools will be affected.

An additional high school, Alliance Academy, will also open at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. Alliance Academy will not affect rezoning as students have to apply to the school.

With these drastic changes to the school system students and parents have expressed their concerns. Their main issue is the loss of school identity and reliable transportation.

Matthew Jeffries, a South Forsyth Junior,  remarked, “Redistricting isn’t going to affect me, but it is going to affect my siblings. And it doesn’t make sense for them to go, I live so much closer to South than Denmark.”

One South parent notes  “I’m sure Denmark will be a great school, but it is always worrisome when you are sending your kids to a school you know nothing about; South I know is a great school, and I was looking forward to sending my kids there.”

Parents at South and other schools have held “Walk To School” protests to demonstrate their sentiments. Creekstone parents are angered at their subdivision being redistricted to Denmark citing proximity, but the County says that moving Creekstone is essential to populating Denmark High School.

The general sentiment for the new school is a weary optimism, but the district maintains that the new school is necessary to relieve overcrowding. The county has open forums for those that have questions about the new changes, the most recent of which was held on October 24 at West Forsyth High School.