WESTFORD — The School Committee has narrowed the possible options for the Robinson School Building Project from 18 to seven as the town enters the next phase of the process that could reshape the district’s elementary schools.
At its Aug. 31 meeting, the School Committee received an update on the project with officials outlining two broad paths under consideration.
One would address the aging Robinson School through renovation or new construction while maintaining the district’s existing elementary structure of kindergarten through grade two and grades three through five. This may leave facility needs unaddressed at other buildings.
The other options involve some form of consolidation and would transition Westford’s elementary schools to a kindergarten-through-grade-five model.
Those remaining options fall under the consolidation path.
Possibilities include renovating or rebuilding Abbott School for either approximately 705 or 1,065 students. Under the larger configuration, Day School would also close.
Another possibility calls for constructing a new approximately 705-student school near Stony Brook Middle School, which would result in the closure of both Abbott and Robinson schools.
Options remain under study, and no final decision has been made.
The district expects to narrow the seven options to a single preferred option by December. That proposal would then undergo more detailed design work, cost estimating and value engineering during the first half of 2027.
If the project moves forward, funding is expected to go before Town Meeting and voters in Fall 2027. Based on the current timeline, a new or renovated school would open around 2031.
Redistricting is also being considered as part of the process.
Superintendent Christopher Chew said consultants have examined whether future attendance boundaries could prevent students from the same elementary school from being divided between Westford’s two middle schools.
Day School students are currently split between Blanchard and Stony Brook middle schools.
Chew said preliminary analysis indicates it could be possible to create attendance boundaries with more consistent elementary-to-middle-school feeder patterns. However, doing so would require trade-offs involving enrollment and building utilization.
Under the consolidation options, the district’s remaining elementary schools would transition to K-5 schools, requiring broader changes to attendance boundaries and enrollment.
Officials also cautioned that maintaining the existing elementary configuration would not eliminate the district’s other facility needs.
The first community forum is tonight – Wednesday, Sept 9 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and in-person at Stony Brook MS Auditorium. For Zoom registration click here .
Additional community forums and School Committee discussions are scheduled throughout the fall before an option is selected.
For more information, including a list of upcoming public forums, click here.
