Lexington Residents Vote in Favor of New $660 Million High School

Residents of Lexington voted in support of a $660 million high school project through a debt-exclusion election that was held on Tuesday.

Based on the preliminary results, the project passed with roughly 61.7 percent of the vote, with 37 percent of voters participating in the special election. In a statement, Lexington Public Schools Superintendent Julie Hackett said that students will soon be able to walk safely through modern hallways, gather in a modern cafeteria, and learn in specially designed spaces.

New $660 Million Lexington High School

She added that in three and a half years, there will be no more faulty HVAC systems that leave rooms sweltering or freezing, windowless classrooms, and conditions that fail to reflect the "vibrant learning happening within them."

The existing Lexington High School was originally built in 1953, with further additions made in 1957, 1965, 2014, and 2015. Some of the concerns locals have include small classrooms, utilities in need of replacement, and the school's lack of ADA compliance, according to Boston.

The new high school that will be built with the $660 million funding will be placed on top of the current athletic fields adjacent to the existing institution. The majority of the adjacent public athletic spaces will remain open to the public. Additionally, any recreational land used during the new high school's construction will be replaced afterward.

The proposed 440,000-square-foot, 3- to 4-story school will have three L-shaped buildings, which is known as a "bloom" configuration. Furthermore, it would be 88,000 square feet larger than the existing school.

The plan for the new Lexington High School also includes renovation and addition of a field house and Central Administration Offices. Work on the new school is expected to begin in late 2026, and the school is expected to open to students for the 2029-2030 school year, WCVB reported.

Addressing Various Issues

While the entire project for the new Lexington High School is estimated to cost $660 million, roughly $121 million is expected to be reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Both the school district and the MSBA also considered renovating the existing school, which would have cost another $311 million, or renovating and adding onto the school, which would have cost more than $713 million, instead of simply building the new institution.

The current building is considered to be overcrowded by roughly 600 students. The new campus is designed with future expansion in mind to help address long-term capacity needs, as per Yahoo News.