Oak Hill Middle School is on the cusp of a significant and sustained enrollment increase. Current enrollment at Oak Hill is 632 students, but due to rising enrollment at the feeder elementary schools, enrollment is projected to rise significantly over the next few years. Based on the elementary school enrollment projections, Oak Hill projects to sustain enrollments above 700 students for the foreseeable future.

To address this sudden increase in student enrollment, the Newton Public Schools and the City of Newton are moving expeditiously to deliver three instructional classrooms to meet the rising enrollment needs.The goal is to have these classrooms designed, bid, and built by the summer of 2021.

The project proposes a new single story, 5,000 S.F. addition on the southwest corner of the existing school and fronting on Wheeler Road. The addition provides three classrooms to accommodate 75 additional students and includes two small group and individualized learning spaces, toilets and associated support space. The existing school building will have interior modifications to connect and support access/egress from both the existing facility and the new addition, and also includes required building code and accessibility upgrades. Follow this link for details on the proposed plan.

The Contractor, JJ Cardozi, has been on-site since September, 2020. Interior renovations to create a multi-purpose room off of the cafeteria and a new gym storage and office area are completed, except for new doors and some finishes. The multi-purpose room was completed in time for the return of students in the hybrid model in December and is currently being used for the relocated technology program.

The contractor completed site preparation, excavation and foundation work for the addition in December and began erecting the steel structure in January. Work continues to progress well on the addition and the weather has been cooperating thus far. Work scheduled in the existing building over the February break includes sprinkler work and electrical work. Work will also continue on roofing, the exterior wall enclosure and the floor slab installation at the addition. The contractor is aware of the school schedule and will continue to work with the project team to minimize disruption to school activities.

The project is currently on schedule for a September 2021 completion date.