diff --git a/go/vt/schemadiff/diff.go b/go/vt/schemadiff/diff.go
index 88eb6a7b326..ff0d861516b 100644
--- a/go/vt/schemadiff/diff.go
+++ b/go/vt/schemadiff/diff.go
@@ -24,6 +24,36 @@ func AllSubsequent(diff EntityDiff) (diffs []EntityDiff) {
 	return diffs
 }
 
+// AtomicDiffs attempts to break a given diff statement into its smallest components.
+// This isn't necessarily the _correct_ thing to do, as MySQL goes, but it assists in
+// identifying the distinct changes that are being made.
+// Currently, the only implementation is to break up `ALTER TABLE ... DROP PARTITION` statements.
+func AtomicDiffs(diff EntityDiff) []EntityDiff {
+	if diff == nil || diff.IsEmpty() {
+		return nil
+	}
+	trivial := func() []EntityDiff {
+		return []EntityDiff{diff}
+	}
+	switch diff := diff.(type) {
+	case *AlterTableEntityDiff:
+		alterTable := diff.alterTable
+		// Examine the scenario where we have e.g. `ALTER TABLE ... DROP PARTITION p1, p2, p3`
+		// and explode it into separate diffs
+		if alterTable.PartitionSpec != nil && alterTable.PartitionSpec.Action == sqlparser.DropAction && len(alterTable.PartitionSpec.Names) > 1 {
+			var distinctDiffs []EntityDiff
+			for i := range alterTable.PartitionSpec.Names {
+				clone := diff.Clone()
+				cloneAlterTableEntityDiff := clone.(*AlterTableEntityDiff)
+				cloneAlterTableEntityDiff.alterTable.PartitionSpec.Names = cloneAlterTableEntityDiff.alterTable.PartitionSpec.Names[i : i+1]
+				distinctDiffs = append(distinctDiffs, clone)
+			}
+			return distinctDiffs
+		}
+	}
+	return trivial()
+}
+
 // DiffCreateTablesQueries compares two `CREATE TABLE ...` queries (in string form) and returns the diff from table1 to table2.
 // Either or both of the queries can be empty. Based on this, the diff could be
 // nil, CreateTable, DropTable or AlterTable
diff --git a/go/vt/schemadiff/table_test.go b/go/vt/schemadiff/table_test.go
index 2177f1570e9..41c73ef1bc3 100644
--- a/go/vt/schemadiff/table_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/schemadiff/table_test.go
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 		enumreorder int
 		subsequent  int
 		textdiffs   []string
+		atomicdiffs []string
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "identical",
@@ -1365,6 +1366,10 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				"-(PARTITION `p1` VALUES LESS THAN (10),",
 				"- PARTITION `p2` VALUES LESS THAN (20),",
 			},
+			atomicdiffs: []string{
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p1`",
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p2`",
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "change partitioning range: statements, multiple adds",
@@ -1503,6 +1508,10 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				"+ PARTITION `p3` VALUES LESS THAN (35),",
 				"+ PARTITION `p4` VALUES LESS THAN (40))",
 			},
+			atomicdiffs: []string{
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p1`",
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p3`",
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "change partitioning range: complex rotate 2, ignore",
@@ -1523,6 +1532,10 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				"+ PARTITION `pX` VALUES LESS THAN (30),",
 				"+ PARTITION `p4` VALUES LESS THAN (40))",
 			},
+			atomicdiffs: []string{
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p1`",
+				"ALTER TABLE `t1` DROP PARTITION `p3`",
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "change partitioning range: not a rotation",
@@ -2072,6 +2085,7 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 					t.Logf("other: %v", sqlparser.CanonicalString(other.CreateTable))
 				}
 				assert.Empty(t, ts.textdiffs)
+				assert.Empty(t, AtomicDiffs(alter))
 				return
 			}
 
@@ -2125,6 +2139,18 @@ func TestCreateTableDiff(t *testing.T) {
 						applied.Create().CanonicalStatementString(),
 					)
 				}
+				// Validate atomic diffs
+				atomicDiffs := AtomicDiffs(alter)
+				if len(ts.atomicdiffs) > 0 {
+					assert.Equal(t, len(ts.atomicdiffs), len(atomicDiffs), "%+v", atomicDiffs)
+					for i := range ts.atomicdiffs {
+						assert.Equal(t, ts.atomicdiffs[i], atomicDiffs[i].CanonicalStatementString())
+					}
+				} else {
+					assert.Equal(t, 1, len(atomicDiffs))
+					assert.Equal(t, alter.CanonicalStatementString(), atomicDiffs[0].CanonicalStatementString())
+				}
+
 				{ // Validate annotations
 					alterEntityDiff, ok := alter.(*AlterTableEntityDiff)
 					require.True(t, ok)