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Spring Lake Park to keep Lighthouse School at high school; district will study elementary option
Summary
After a months-long study and community feedback, the board voted to keep the Lighthouse School at Spring Lake Park High School serving grades 2–12 and to study offering Lighthouse-type programming at Northpointe Elementary as an additional choice for grades 2–4.
The Spring Lake Park Public Schools board heard a presentation and confirmed a decision to keep the Lighthouse School at Spring Lake Park High School and to explore offering Lighthouse-type programming at Northpointe Elementary.
Dr. Hope Ron presented the district operational study "Study Lighthouse Location to Enhance Programming," describing discovery work, prototypes, and feedback gathered from 11 stakeholder groups and three family sessions. "We will continue to have Lighthouse stay at Spring Lake Park High School, and they will continue to serve students at the high school location in grades 2 through 12," the presenter said, citing the program's value as a multi-age, multi-grade learning community.
The study identified five predominant themes that framed the recommendation: the program's unique multi-age model and community, belonging and social-emotional supports for gifted learners, potential programming opportunities offered by other campuses, logistics challenges for families if the program is split across sites, and demand for early-elementary Lighthouse-type programming. The presentation noted tradeoffs: relocating could increase access to electives at Westwood but might dilute the unique multidisciplinary model or create transportation burdens for about "70%" of Lighthouse families who would have to drive farther, according to the presenter.
Board members thanked the design team and families for their input; no motion was needed because the recommendation was presented as the project's conclusion. The presenter additionally said the district would "explore the option of offering a lighthouse type program at Northpointe," and that if pursued families with students in grades 2–4 would have a choice to enroll at Northpointe or at the high school.
The decision preserves the Lighthouse program's current multi-age model while committing the district to further study of an elementary-site option and possible program enhancements in math and music for the 2026–27 school year.
