Consisting of about 1340 students, Chamblee’s student body is anything but homogenous. Forty-nine percent of Chamblee’s student population is African American, 33.3 percent Caucasian, and 18 percent are international, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Chamblee’s heterogeneous composition stems from the attendance of three groups of students; resident, magnet, and Majority-to-Minority students.

Residents, those whose home school is Chamblee, make up a large portion of the student body. Making up 34 percent of the school’s population, magnet students come from all over the county to participate in the magnet high achiever program at Chamblee.

A majority- to- Minority students are students who opted to attend Chamblee rather than their home school. The Majority-to-Minority program began in 1972 as a tool of integration, but it ended in the 1999-2000 school year after DeKalb school board officials reviewed facts and concluded that integration in DeKalb schools was well established. Senior Nicole Hayes, a student in the program, says she is happy she chose to come to Chamblee instead of staying at her home school Cedar Grove. “Every time I walk to class I think of the excellent choice I made,” she says. “ There are a whole lot of different people here, and I really enjoy it.” 

International students also contribute to Chamblee’s unique student body. There are students from numerous countries, including Ethiopia, Jamaica, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Peru. Chamblee’s staff also adds to the school’s cultural diversity. English teacher Dahlia Pottinger and counselor  Elaine Bryan are both from Jamaica, and Spanish teacher Effie Tiliakos is Greek.

Because of its heterogeneous population, Chamblee has developed a unique atmosphere. Comments senior Shaunte Henry, “ There are all kinds of people here, so you get exposed to so many different ideas and views.” She is even writing about her intercultural experience at Chamblee for one of her college applications.

According to principal Cheryl Finke, a diverse environment allows all Chamblee students to gain exposure to various events and ideas through numerous activities and organizations. “The diversity of Chamblee prepares everybody for the real world,” says Finke.