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Boston suburb approves new $660 million high school
The new Lexington High School is expected to open for the 2029-2030 academic year.
The residents of Lexington voted in favor of a new high school project, estimated to cost $660 million, in a debt-exclusion election on Tuesday.
The project passed with about 61.7% of the vote, based on the preliminary results, with 37% of voters participating in the special election.
“In three and a half years, our students will walk safely through modern hallways, gather in a cafeteria with room to connect and belong, and learn in spaces designed for collaboration and discovery,” Lexington Public Schools Superintendent Julie Hackett wrote in a statement on the vote. “No more faulty HVAC systems leaving rooms sweltering or freezing, no more windowless classrooms or air quality concerns, and no more conditions that fail to reflect the vibrant learning happening within them.”
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The current Lexington High School was built in 1953, with additions built in 1957, 1965, 2014, and 2015, and has small classrooms, utilities in need of replacement, and is not ADA-compliant, according to a video by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
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The new high school will be built on current athletic fields adjacent to the existing high school, according to a virtual tour of the proposed school plans. The majority of the adjacent public athletic spaces will remain open to the public and any recreational land used during construction will be replaced, according to the project website.
The 440,000-square-foot, 3- to 4-story school will consist of three L-shaped buildings, known as a “bloom” configuration, and will be 88,000 square feet larger than the existing school, according to the MSBA.
The school will also include an 800-seat dining center, which will also serve as a multipurpose room; a grab-and-go cafe; two large group instructional spaces; and an enclosed courtyard, according to the virtual tour.
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The entire project is estimated to cost $660 million with $121 million estimated to be reimbursed by the MSBA. The school district and the MSBA considered renovating the existing school, which would’ve cost $311 million, or renovating and adding onto the school, which would’ve cost over $713 million, more than the entirely new school.
Plans for the new school and early site work may begin in 2026 with construction projected to start in 2027. The district expects to welcome students to the new school at the start of the 2029-2030 school year with construction expected to be completed at the end of 2030.
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