Grand Rapids — Grand Rapids Public Schools is recommending that a new elementary school be built at the site of the current Aberdeen Academy at 928 Aberdeen St. NE.
In a release from GRPS, the district stated the new school would open in fall 2027, replacing Aberdeen Academy and Palmer Elementary, both of which are slated to close that year as part of a district-wide reconsolidation effort.
The recommendation was made in response to feedback received in late 2023 as part of the Reimagine GRPS With Us! facilities master plan. The Reimagine plan originally called for a new school to go up at the North Park Montessori site, but that plan was amended when the community made it clear that North Park wasn’t the most ideal location.
The district stated in the release that constructing a new school makes fiscal sense, as the cost of renovating Aberdeen would be more than 80% of the cost of a new build project.
Construction would be funded using dollars from the district’s $305 million bond, which was approved in November 2023.
GRPS will host two opportunities for the public to provide feedback on the recommendation: one at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at Palmer Elementary, 309 Palmer St. NE; and one at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Aberdeen.
Those unable to attend are invited to offer their thoughts using this online feedback form.
The Board of Education is expected to vote on the matter in March. If the new building is approved, it would be the first new school to be built in the northeast quadrant of the district since 1965.
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