Atlanta School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Georgia)

Q: Which local TV stations report Atlanta school closings?

WSB-TV Channel 2, 11Alive WXIA-TV, and FOX 5 Atlanta (WAGA-TV) are the three stations most metro Atlanta families check first during active weather, each maintaining a dedicated closings page.

Q: Why does even a small amount of ice shut down Atlanta schools?

Metro Atlanta has very little salt, sand, or plow equipment, and many roads include steep grades, bridges, and overpasses that ice over first. A thin glaze can leave school buses unable to safely navigate hilly neighborhood streets before sunrise.

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Looking for Atlanta school closings today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

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Please enable JavaScript in your browser, then reload this page to see current closure and delay information for Atlanta Public Schools and surrounding districts. In the meantime, check directly: Atlanta Public Schools (atlantapublicschools.us), WSB-TV Channel 2, or 11Alive WXIA.

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Live status monitored for Atlanta Public Schools (APS).

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) makes systemwide weather decisions rather than letting individual schools choose their own status. When severe weather is forecast, district leaders monitor road conditions, bus route safety, and building readiness overnight and into the early morning. The district aims to post a decision — full closure, delay, early dismissal, or a switch to a remote/virtual learning day — on its official website at atlantapublicschools.us by around 5:00 a.m. on the day of the event, though a fast-changing storm can occasionally push that announcement later in the morning.

Families enrolled in APS also receive direct alerts through ParentSquare, which sends the same closure or delay notice by app, text, and email. Beyond the district’s own channels, metro Atlanta’s local TV stations are typically the fastest secondary source: WSB-TV Channel 2 maintains a running closings page, 11Alive WXIA posts to its own closings tracker, and FOX 5 Atlanta keeps an updated closings list during active weather events. This page checks all of these sources automatically alongside the official APS site.

Winter ice and freezing rain: The single biggest trigger for APS closures. Metro Atlanta has limited de-icing equipment, and the city’s many overpasses, bridges, and hilly streets freeze first and stay dangerous longest, even when accumulation is light.
Severe thunderstorms: Spring and summer storms can bring damaging wind gusts, large hail, and frequent lightning, occasionally prompting early dismissal if a storm arrives during the school day.
Tornadoes: Georgia sits within an active tornado corridor, particularly in spring; a confirmed warning near Atlanta can trigger shelter-in-place procedures or, in rare cases, a delayed start the next morning.
Flash flooding: Heavy rainfall from slow-moving storms or tropical remnants can flood low-lying roads and creeks across Fulton County, affecting bus routes even when schools themselves stay open.
Extreme heat: Summer heat advisories can affect outdoor activities, athletics, and early dismissal schedules, especially for schools without full air conditioning in older buildings.
Remnant tropical systems: Atlanta is inland, but the remains of Gulf or Atlantic hurricanes can still bring heavy rain and high wind well after landfall, occasionally prompting a precautionary closure.

How early does Atlanta Public Schools announce school closures?

APS aims to make weather-related decisions and post them to its website by around 5:00 a.m. on the day of the event, so families have time to arrange childcare or adjust commutes. If a storm develops or worsens later in the morning, the district may issue an updated announcement, including a possible early dismissal.

What’s the difference between a closure and a delay for Atlanta schools?

A closure means no in-person classes at all for the day, sometimes replaced by a remote/virtual learning day. A delay means school still happens, but the start time is pushed back — usually by one or two hours — to let icy roads warm up or a storm pass through before buses run. APS has used both options depending on conditions.

Does Atlanta Public Schools close every school at once, or by individual school?

APS normally makes one systemwide decision that applies to every school in the district at the same time. Individual schools only deviate from that decision in rare, localized situations — for example, a specific building losing power or water — in which case that school’s families are notified directly rather than through a districtwide alert.

Which local TV stations report Atlanta school closings?

WSB-TV Channel 2 (ABC Atlanta), 11Alive WXIA-TV (NBC Atlanta), and FOX 5 Atlanta (WAGA-TV) are the three stations most metro Atlanta families check first during active weather. All three maintain dedicated closings pages that update through the morning as new district decisions come in.

How often is this page updated?

Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, and every 5 minutes during active weather alerts. The page also has a manual refresh button if you want to check immediately rather than wait for the next automatic cycle.

Why does even a small amount of ice shut down Atlanta schools?

Unlike northern cities, metro Atlanta has very little salt, sand, or plow equipment on hand, and many roads include steep grades, bridges, and overpasses that ice over before flat ground does. A glaze that would barely register elsewhere can leave school buses unable to safely navigate hilly neighborhood streets before sunrise, which is why APS and neighboring districts often close for ice events that produce little or no visible snow.

High Schools

Benjamin E. Mays High School
Booker T. Washington High School
Carver Early College
Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School
Frederick Douglass High School
Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
Midtown High School
North Atlanta High School
South Atlanta High School

Middle Schools

Ralph J. Bunche Middle School
David T. Howard Middle School
Herman J. Russell West End Academy
HLHANBA (Henry L. Hank Aaron New Beginning Academy)
John Lewis Invictus Academy
Martin Luther King Middle School
Crawford W. Long Middle School
Luther J. Price Middle School
Willis A. Sutton Middle School
Sylvan Hills Middle School
Jean Childs Young Middle School

Elementary Schools

Barack & Michelle Obama Academy
Beecher Hills Elementary School
Frederick Wilson Benteen Elementary School
Bolton Academy
Boyd Elementary School
Burgess-Peterson Academy
Cascade Elementary School
Cleveland Avenue Elementary School
Continental Colony Elementary School
Deerwood Academy
Dobbs Elementary School
Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School
E. Rivers Elementary School
F.N. Fickett Elementary School
Finch Elementary School
Garden Hills Elementary School
Harper Archer Elementary School
Heritage Academy
Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy
Hope-Hill Elementary School
Emma Hutchinson Elementary School
Joseph W. Humphries Elementary School
Warren T. Jackson Elementary School
M. Agnes Jones Elementary School
L.O. Kimberly Elementary School
L.P. Miles Elementary School
Mary Lin Elementary School
Morningside Elementary School
Morris Brandon Elementary School
Parkside Elementary School
Perkerson Elementary School
Peyton Forest Elementary School
Sarah Smith Elementary School
William J. Scott Elementary School
T.H. Slater Elementary School
Springdale Park Elementary School
Frank L. Stanton Elementary School
Fred A. Toomer Elementary School
Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy
Usher-Collier Elementary School
Virginia-Highland Elementary
West Manor Elementary School

Note: APS also operates additional programs (Atlanta Virtual Academy, Atlanta College and Career Academy, Phoenix Academy) and partners with several charter and partner schools across the city. The roster above reflects the district’s traditional elementary, middle, and high schools (87 total learning sites districtwide) — for the complete, current directory including charter and partner schools, visit atlantapublicschools.us/schools.