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Trust for Public Land and Atlanta Public Schools Open Two Community Schoolyards

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Friday, May 8th, 2026

Trust for Public Land and Atlanta Public Schools announce the openings of two schoolyards to the public.  More than 8,600 Atlantans live within a 10-minute walk of the Continental Colony and Hope-Hill schoolyards, 451 of whom do not have another park within walking distance. Improving this access is critical in TPL’s annual Park Score Index.

The Schoolyards Program is a national effort of Trust for Public Land designed to expand community access to schoolyards during non-school hours and increase the percentage of people who live within a 10-minute walk of a park. In Atlanta, the initiative is implemented in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools, Urban Land Institute Atlanta and Park Pride, with additional support from the philanthropic community.

“Schoolyards are one of the most powerful ways to bring green space closer to where people live,” said George Dusenbury, Georgia state director for Trust for Public Land. “Through partnerships like this, we’re expanding access to safe places for children and families to play while helping more Atlantans live within a 10-minute walk of a park.”

Hope Hill Elementary School, 112 Boulevard NE, will host its ribbon cutting May 8 from 1-2 p.m. The new schoolyard will incorporate features such as new play equipment including a zip line, rope climber and embankment slides; a stage for performances; picnic tables; ADA ramps and seat walls; and green infrastructure features installed by the Department of Watershed Management to capture stormwater while filling the space with new trees and plants.

 
Continental Colony Elementary School, 3181 Hogan Rd SW, follows with a ribbon cutting May 14 from 1-2 p.m. The new schoolyard includes a shade pavilion, picnic tables and benches throughout the school grounds, a new accessible sidewalk connection between the schoolyard area and Hogan Road and a new half-court for basketball games. The court features a mural jointly designed and installed by local artist Aysha Pennerman, Arelious Cooper and his team at Art in the Paint and Continental Colony Elementary students. Department of Watershed Management also contributed elements to this site, including a raised bed garden with a rainwater cistern.
 
In Atlanta, 18 percent of residents still do not live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Over the past six years, Trust for Public Land has worked with 14 Atlanta Public Schools to redesign schoolyards so they can serve as parks during non-school hours. The same strategy is being used in cities across the country to help communities expand access to green space by opening schoolyards for neighborhood use.

Since the Schoolyards Program inception in Atlanta in 2019, the city has risen from 42 to 21 in the Park Score ranking of the 100 most populous U.S. cities, based on a comparison of five park categories: equity, access, investment, amenities and acreage. The 2026 Park Score will be announced at the end of the month and will factor in access to these new schoolyards.