Sutton Middle School

In the early 1970's, Atlanta Public Schools was experiencing tremendous growth. The school district was in need of a new middle school to house the students from Garden Hills, E. Rivers, Warren T. Jackson, Sarah Smith, and Morris Brandon Elementary Schools. The decision was made to transition one of the high schools to a middle school. In 1972, William Franklin Dykes High School, situated on Powers Ferry Road in the Buckhead neighborhood, was changed to Willis A. Sutton Middle School, named for the eighth superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.