Superintendent outlines redistricting plan and timeline for Clifton Heights Middle School

At the March meeting Superintendent Daniel McGarry provided the board with detailed redistricting plans tied to upcoming facility changes, including the planned closure of Charles Kelley Elementary School and the projected opening of Clifton Heights Middle School.

"Charles Kelley Elementary School will close next year. Those students will be redistricted no matter what at the conclusion of this school year," McGarry said. He outlined likely placements: some Charles Kelley students will move to Stonehurst Hills or Highland Park, while other neighborhoods will be reassigned to Hillcrest Elementary or Oronomik (as described by the superintendent). McGarry said neighborhoods that typically feed Beverly Hills Middle School, Hillcrest or Drexel Hill Middle School will have assignments adjusted depending on Clifton Heights’ opening.

McGarry said Clifton Heights Middle School is slated to open in August and that the district is "staying positive" about that timeline. "If it doesn't open by August, we'll be moving you in January," he said, explaining that the district has contingency plans to assign students to Drexel Hill Middle School or, in some cases, delay moves until midyear.

He framed the changes as efforts to reduce overcrowding: Beverly Hills Middle School’s population would shrink from roughly 1,400–1,500 students to a figure closer to 1,000 if redistricting and the new middle school proceed as planned; Clifton Heights would be expected to enroll about 750 students under the district’s planning assumptions.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take a formal vote on redistricting at this meeting. McGarry invited families with questions to contact the district to discuss individual placement concerns and emphasized the district would continue outreach as plans develop.