In metro Atlanta, white student population down, Hispanic kids sky-rocket

From the AJC's Political Insider:

This morning, the Atlanta Regional Commission reported that metro Atlanta is leading this diversification of student population. Here, the non-white student population stands at 63 percent.

Between 2000 and 2012, 28 school districts in the 20-county Atlanta region experienced a decline of more than 30,000 white students, compared to a dramatic increase in the Hispanic population, and continued growth in Asian and African-American student populations.

In 2000, 52 percent (376,959) of metro Atlanta’s public school population was white. Blacks made up 36 percent (264,003); Hispanics, 6 percent (45,146); and Asians, 4 percent (26,101).

By 2012, the Hispanic population had “exploded” by more than 100,000 (to 148,787) and is now 16 percent of the school population. Whites (346,476) declined by roughly 30,000 and now make up 37 percent of metro Atlanta’s student population. Asians and African-Americans stayed proportionate to 2000.

Which school systems saw increases in white enrollment? The city systems of Decatur and Atlanta. In Atlanta, white student population increased from 6.5 to 14.1 percent between 2000 and 2012.