The Elkins Park School (Cheltenham School District) will permanently close at the end of the 2024-25 school year after the district’s board of directors unanimously approved a plan on Tuesday, May 27, Kenny Cooper of WHYY reported.
The 70-year-old school, which serves fifth- and sixth-grade students and sits on a 10-acre campus, would have cost taxpayers more than $80 million to rebuild, officials said. Renovations to accommodate Elkins Park students will cost $34.7 million.
In 2026, permanent additions will be constructed at Cedarbrook Middle School and Glenside Elementary, to be completed by the fall of 2027. The district’s schools will be reconfigured into a K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 structure beginning in 2025-26.
The future of the building is still undecided, Cooper, a 2016 graduate of Cheltenham High School, wrote. High school students in the Empowerment Program in Cheltenham will still use the building.
In February, the school board held a Public Hearing regarding the potential closure. The board met for a special legislative meeting on January 29 to discuss the future operations and potential grade reconfiguration at Elkins Park School.
Officials reviewed four proposed options for the board’s consideration:
- Status Quo – Remaining in Elkins Park for two more years.
- Leasing – Relocating Elkins Park students to a leased facility.
- Immediate Move – EP Open – Keeping fifth graders in their current elementary schools while relocating sixth graders to modular classrooms under the name of Elkins Park (Sixth Grade only).
- Immediate Move – EP Closed – Keeping fifth graders in their elementary schools and relocating sixth graders to modular classrooms and affiliated to Cedarbrook Middle School.
Slides from the presentation can be found here. Superintendent Dr. Brian Scriven said the district began considering closing the school in 2023.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.