Beginning in the fall of 2015, the Upper Arlington community came together to craft a long-term facilities master plan for the district’s aging schools. Throughout the process, thousands of residents, students and staff members shared their thoughts on the best path forward for our aging schools — by volunteering on a building team, attending a community meeting, taking an online survey, or hosting or attending a small-group coffee chat.
After nearly three years and more than 8,000 touch points in the process, Upper Arlington voters endorsed building a new Upper Arlington High School and fully renovating or rebuilding all five elementary schools on the November 2017 ballot. The $230 million bond issue was supplemented by the historic Upper Arlington Legacy capital campaign that successfully raised $7.5 million toward construction costs and project enhancements to further the daily student experience in Upper Arlington Schools.
Following the passage of the bond issue, Upper Arlington Schools again went out to the community to engage in a design process for all six projects in the first phase of the community’s master plan. Following a year-long design process, Upper Arlington Schools began BUILDING OUR FUTURE in the spring of 2019 for the Upper Arlington students and community of today and for generations to come.
The Barrington Elementary School addition, the new Greensview Elementary School, the Tremont Elementary School renovation and addition project and the new Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School were all completed on schedule and on budget in August 2020. The new Upper Arlington High School, the Barrington renovation project and the new Windermere Elementary School reached this milestone — also on schedule and on budget — with a grand opening in August 2021 for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. The new Tremont athletic fields, also part of the first phase of the community’s master plan, were completed earlier, in 2019.
A grand opening celebration in August of 2021 marked the completion of all of these projects and opened the doors of all of the fully renovated and rebuilt schools to the community. This was a historic moment for the entire Upper Arlington community, drawing out thousands and thousands of students, alumni, parents, grandparents and community members to see these new learning spaces that will serve the students of Upper Arlington for generations to come.
All of these spaces will support the core business of Upper Arlington Schools — our mission of challenging and supporting every student, every step of the way. These new and renovated schools offer modern and flexible learning environments that will better prepare our students for their futures. These projects also provide additional space — approximately 200,000 square feet across all six buildings — to meet the needs of our growing school district. In the event that growth exceeds projections, each project has been designed to have a logical place for a classroom addition, if needed.
Work will continue on the site of the new Upper Arlington High School during the 2021-2022 school year to research the Pleasant Litchford cemetery site, demolish the old building and develop the remainder of the site.
After completion of the first phase of the master plan, the Upper Arlington Board of Education and the community will need to revisit the second phase, including the two middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School.
We have several ways for everyone to remember, or experience for the first time, the grand opening celebration — a historic day for Upper Arlington. Additional printed copies of the program are also available for pickup at our district office, 1950 North Mallway Drive.
Grand Opening Celebration Recap Video
Grand Opening Ceremony — Full Video Recording
Grand Opening Celebration Commemorative Program