Falmouth officials recommend reopening Lawrence School for grades 5–7, moving 8th grade to high school

Falmouth — Superintendent Alan Harris recommended that the district reopen the Lawrence School as a three‑grade middle school serving grades 5, 6 and 7 and move eighth grade to Falmouth High School in the year construction on the Lawrence project begins.

Harris said the district submitted a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and that the earliest construction start for the Lawrence renovation would be 2030, with the building occupied for three grades once renovation is complete (the presentation indicated renovation finalization as early as 2032). “We reopen the Lawrence School with a 3 grade configuration, grades 5, 6, and 7. We move eighth grade to the high school the year construction begins,” Harris said.

The proposal’s proponents said it responds to a long‑term drop in district enrollment and would reduce the number of school transitions for students. Paul, a district staff presenter who reviewed enrollment data, told the committee the district’s total enrollment declined from roughly 3,547 students in the 2014–15 school year to about 2,266 students in 2024–25 — a decline the presentation described as roughly 20 percent — and that projecting grade spans into the early 2030s shows different capacity and programing outcomes under each configuration.

Why it matters

District staff argued a three‑grade middle school reduces the frequency of transitions students face, permits…