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Hillsborough board will keep six K–4 elementary schools, plans minimal boundary changes
Summary
After months of study and public input, district officials told the board they will keep all six local elementary schools as K–4 and pursue modest boundary adjustments to balance enrollment; families should expect assignment information by spring break and kindergarten registration opens in January.
The Hillsborough Township Board of Education on Nov. 24 heard a redistricting update that settles the district’s structural questions for now: the district will keep six local elementary schools configured as kindergarten through fourth grade and will adjust attendance boundaries as minimally as possible to balance enrollment.
Assistant Superintendent Handler, who led the redistricting presentation, told the board the committee evaluated options — including converting Hillsborough Elementary to a fourth-grade-only school and turning Triangle School into an early-childhood center — and concluded those plans were not viable. “There was a proposal to convert Hillsborough Elementary School into a fourth grade school. It did not garner strong community support and critically was not projected to deliver the anticipated financial savings we thought,” Handler said. He added that Triangle would be immediately at capacity if converted to an early-childhood center, leaving no room for growth.
Handler said the district will focus on redrawing boundaries incrementally, aiming to minimize student moves while balancing capacity across the six schools. The district plans to inform families of new school boundaries for the 2026–27 school year by spring break and will open kindergarten enrollment in January to help refine projections. He cautioned that any option allowing current third-graders to remain for a fourth-grade year would likely require parents to provide transportation if space allows.
Superintendent Volpe and board members emphasized a “kid-centered” transition approach, including possible spring visits to new schools and other supports to ease transfers. Volpe summarized the decision succinctly: the district is keeping all six schools K–4, will redraw lines, and will provide transition activities in the spring.
The board did not vote on boundary maps at the Nov. 24 meeting; staff will return with proposed boundary adjustments and implementation details in the coming months. Until then, district officials urged families to register kindergarten students early to help shape capacity estimates.
