Austin Elementary School, Dunwoody GA

Original Research by School Decision on Austin Elementary School

Austin Elementary School is a pre-K through fifth-grade school in the Dunwoody area of DeKalb County, serving roughly seven hundred students. Math proficiency is strong, with students performing well across third through fifth grade. English language arts is solid, though slightly more uneven, with fifth graders showing the strongest performance. Science proficiency in fifth grade is in the high range. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among DeKalb County districts, a meaningful distinction in an area where school performance varies considerably.

The student body is diverse, with white and Asian students each representing substantial shares, along with Hispanic and multiracial students, and a smaller Black population. A very small share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the relative affluence of the Dunwoody area. Data on students with IEPs or English learners was not available.

Dunwoody itself is a mixed northern Atlanta suburb, split between quieter residential neighborhoods in its center and north, and Perimeter Center, a major office and retail district to the southwest. The city has been transforming rapidly. The High Street development, a large mixed-use project near the Dunwoody MARTA station, completed its first phase in 2025 and will eventually include substantial new office, retail, and residential space. Much of the area's housing stock consists of single-family homes, and Dunwoody's home values have tracked modestly above the national benchmark, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents have also moved up. The city has access to MARTA transit, which is rare for Atlanta suburbs, and includes parks and civic anchors like Brook Run and the Dunwoody library.

Parents should be aware of a significant change in DeKalb County's school assignment structure. The Student Assignment Project, launched in 2024, is a major multi-year redistricting effort driven by declining enrollment and surplus capacity. An initial scenario in early 2025 flagged many schools for possible closure, and revised cluster-specific proposals have followed. A final recommendation is expected in late 2026. This process will reshape attendance boundaries and school assignments across multiple clusters, including the Dunwoody cluster. For families choosing where to live or enrolling at Austin, this ongoing process is a direct consideration—school assignments may change as the plan develops.

Separately, DeKalb's property-tax burden has been slowly declining on a per-mill basis, but rising property values have pushed actual tax bills higher each year, a dynamic relevant to families weighing housing costs. The district approved a major capital referendum, E-SPLOST VI, which funds new schools and program conversions, including specialized academies in technology and performing arts, that may open or change program options for families over the next several years.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 34% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 56 pts above county median

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 35% · ▲ 60 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 62 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 32% · ▲ 57 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 63 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 30% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 30% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 35% · ▲ 50 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Science

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 33% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 60 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-896%

School 96% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

This schoolDeKalb County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grades 3-8Lower-income44%Higher-income84%39 pp gap

Mathematics

Grades 3-8Lower-income65%Higher-income92%27 pp gap