Credit: Cheltenham School District.
The Cheltenham School District Board unanimously voted Tuesday to close Elkins Park School at the end of the current academic year due to the building's deteriorating condition.
The 70-year-old school, which served fifth and sixth graders, would have cost more than $80 million to rebuild. Instead, the district will restructure these grades and renovate other schools at a cost of $34.7 million.
Starting this fall, the district will move to a K–5 and 6–8 grade structure. Fifth graders will remain at their respective elementary schools while sixth graders will be taught in temporary modular classrooms next to Elkins Park.
By 2026, construction will begin on permanent additions at Cedarbrook Middle School (which will receive 19 new classrooms) and Glenside Elementary, with completion expected by fall 2027.
The closure is part of a broader facilities plan launched in 2022, which concluded that the district couldn’t afford to rebuild aging schools and didn’t need as much space due to enrollment trends. The decision received minimal opposition, reflecting extensive community engagement beforehand. The future use of the Elkins Park building remains uncertain, though it will still temporarily house the Empowerment Program for high school students.
“We knew that we had to pivot and potentially look at doing something different,” Superintendent Brian Scriven told WHYY News in an interview.
