Scituate weighs new elementary school district maps

SCITUATE — School officials are continuing the process of redrawing elementary school boundaries as the district prepares to move from four schools to three in 2027.

District leaders presented two proposed redistricting maps during a public information session March 4, outlining how students could be reassigned once a new elementary school opens at the Hatherly site and Cushing Elementary closes.

The district expects the consolidation to take effect when the new school opens in fall 2027.

School Committee Chair Nicole Brandolini said the effort traces back nearly a decade to an initial study of the district’s school structure in 2016. Officials studied possible grade-level configurations but determined residents strongly supported maintaining neighborhood schools.

“Through that work, we discovered that really Scituate values neighborhood schools,” Brandolini said.

The district later conducted a facilities assessment of Cushing and Hatherly elementary schools and determined both buildings had reached the end of their lifespan. Voters approved construction of a new school in spring 2024, and officials said the project remains on schedule and under budget.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said the closure of Cushing Elementary requires the district to reconfigure attendance zones across town.

“When Cushing Elementary closes in 2027 and the new school comes online at the current Hatherly site, we will have three elementary school buildings in Scituate and not four,” Lynch said.

Because all three schools will be located on the eastern side of town, existing boundaries will need to shift. District leaders said the goal is to ensure each school continues delivering the same academic experience.

“Our job from the beginning was always delivering a high quality education for all of our students and ensuring that every student feels seen, valued, and supported,” Lynch said.

Matthew Cropper of Cropper GIS Consulting, which specializes in school redistricting, presented two possible maps developed with district officials. The consulting team analyzed student addresses and enrollment projections using geographic mapping tools to evaluate several scenarios before narrowing the options.

Under both proposals, students currently attending Cushing would be reassigned among the remaining schools. Some areas would shift to the new Hatherly school while others would be reassigned to Jenkins or Wampatuck elementary schools. District estimates show about 660 students would be affected across the system, including students already moving because their current school will close or relocate. The district evaluated several factors while designing the maps, including balancing enrollment, improving bus efficiency, minimizing student reassignment and maintaining safe travel routes.

Officials said enrollment projections played a key role in determining the new boundaries. The district currently has about 1,285 elementary students enrolled across four schools. When the district transitions to three schools in 2027, total capacity will be about 1,360 students based on an average class size of 20. District officials also said a long-term enrollment study showed no major spikes in student population expected in the coming years.

School leaders said the district plans to spend the next school year preparing students and staff for the change.

“We are committed to the transition to the three elementary schools, and we're committed to the social emotional piece of this,” Raab said.

Students will visit their future schools and participate in activities designed to ease the transition, officials said.

“We want to take the entire year to do that,” Raab said.

Residents can review the proposed maps and provide feedback through an online survey open through March 15. District officials plan to present a recommendation to the School Committee on March 30, with a vote on a final redistricting plan expected April 27. Brandolini said officials understand that changing school assignments can be difficult for families.

“Transitions are hard, no doubt about that,” she said. “But we all come together as one Scituate.”