HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The community input for phase 2 of the Holyoke elementary and middle schools rezoning project was reviewed, and decisions were sent to families, staff, and community partners last Friday.

The rezoning efforts will separate elementary (PK-5) and middle (6-8) schools and will redraw school boundary lines for fall 2023. More than half of all students in grades PreK through Grade 8 will be attending a new school next year at Holyoke Public Schools.

The primary interest of the rezoning process was where students and staff will be assigned to. All families will receive a letter in January or sooner with the school their children will be assigned to. Families can also search online to see what school their children will attend.

SEARCH: What school will my child attend in Holyoke?

FACT SHEET: Elementary and Middle School Zone Maps and Student Reassignment

Students in specialized special education or dual language have different options based on the program. For school choice students, a letter will be mailed by December 23rd with placement information.

The staff of Holyoke Public Schools impacted will be notified on December 16th.

Holyoke Elementary Schools (PreK-5)

  • Donahue
  • E.N. White
  • Kelly
  • Lawrence
  • McMahon
  • Morgan

Holyoke Middle Schools (6-8)

  • Sullivan
    • Recent Upgrades
      • Windows and exterior doors replacements
      • Partial roof replacement
      • New exterior landscaping
      • Air conditioning Installation 
      • LED lights installed throughout the school (work ongoing)
    • Upgrades to be completed by the first day of school for SY23-24
      • Age-appropriate bathroom modifications meeting ADA accessibility requirements
      • Upgraded grade-level appropriate furniture 
      • Upgraded security camera coverage to more closely match the coverage recently put in place at the high school campuses
      • Updated library with age-appropriate furniture, technology, and materials
      • Appropriate space and equipment for science
      • Appropriate materials for middle school enrichment classes
    • Upgrades to be completed by SY24-25
      • Modify the existing entrances to limit visitors’ access to the rest of the building and potentially expand the office area
      • Upgrade the outdoor and athletic facilities, including installation of a new basketball courts
  • Holyoke STEM
    • Located at the Dean Campus, which is a newer facility that already has the necessary main entrance and security upgrades. Investments were made in 2018 in furniture, technology, etc.
  • Metcalf Middle
    • Recent Upgrades
      • Upgraded kitchen to provide additional food storage and meal preparation on campus
      • Flooring replacement
      • Ensuring operable windows and air conditioning installation in every classroom
      • New water heater
      • Traffic flow signage 
    • Upgrades to be completed by the first day of school for SY23-24
      • Age-appropriate bathroom modifications meeting ADA accessibility requirements
      • Upgraded grade-level appropriate furniture 
      • Upgraded security camera coverage
      • Appropriate space and equipment for science classes
      • Appropriate materials for middle school enrichment classes
      • Upgraded outdoor facilities where possible

Peck school will be vacated until funding can be secured to build a new middle school.  

“These are important, well thought-out changes that will improve the educational experiences of all students in the long run and provide greater equity,” said Superintendent Anthony Soto in a letter to HPS families and staff last week. “It’s taken six months of research and planning, more than 45 public meetings, three surveys, and lots of conversations with countless stakeholders during 60+ school and community events to develop these decisions.” 

Vice Chair Mildred Lefebvre said during the November 21 School Committee meeting that change is best navigated when a community is united. “Rezoning is now dividing us,” she said, “and rather than divide us it needs to start bringing us together. Not just as staff but also our kids. They need to see us standing united.”

Superintendent Soto agrees. “We need to come together and embrace this new path forward,” he said in his December 2 letter to families and staff about the latest rezoning decisions. “We’ve heard over and over and over again since 2015 that our community first and foremost wants separate elementary and middle schools to provide stronger and better aligned educational programs. Rezoning is the only way to get us there—through redrawn school boundary lines that balance enrollment and demographics across our schools and especially across our middle schools. We heard from our kindergarten families that they don’t want their young children to ride buses with middle schoolers. And we’ve heard from families of older students that they want their children to have a real middle school experience. Rezoning accomplishes all of this, and much more.”