Recently, the Central Bucks School Board has been discussing their plans for realignment.  Many students throughout the district, including South, have likely discussed what it would be like when Freshmen arrive at our high schools and what that might mean for our former elementary and middle school teachers or students.  Yet, although this has the chance of impacting us in a very direct way, little has been revealed to us as students- which is why I’ve decided to collect as much information as I could on the realignment plan so we can all learn a bit more about the significant changes that are to arrive at South in the upcoming years.

What is Realignment? 

CB Realignment is the plan organized by administrators throughout the district to move all 6th graders to the middle schools and all 9th graders to the high school facilities, ending the decades long system of 7-9 middle school levels and 10-12 high school levels.  According to the CBSD website, realignment is intended to create the following changes:

• Introduce Full-Day Kindergarten
• Shift Elementary School from grades K-6th to K-5th
• Shift Middle School from grades 7th-9th to 6th-8th
• Shift High School from grades 10th-12th to 9th-12th
• Ensure curriculum is aligned with grade-level shifts

As a result of these goals, there will be particular focus upon adjusting the existing curriculum; financing these changes; expanding or improving existing facilities and adjusting transportation services and expanding athletic teams as well.  Recent developments also determined that CB will not be doing student redistricting to meet this goal.

Why?

The school district has presented their reasoning for attempting to shift our grade levels through realignment.  The most obvious answer is because CBSD is one of the few local school districts to not have a K-5, 6-9, and 9-12 system. Central Bucks has stuck to its K-6, 7-9, and 10-12 grade level alignments since its founding in 1952.  According to a presentation by the district, “sixth grade students in a middle school setting will foster social development and increased academic opportunities.”  In addition, “ninth grade students in a high school setting will enhance access and opportunity that contribute to college and career readiness.”  In simple terms, both sixth graders and ninth graders may benefit from this change, as it will allow them to have more advanced and diverse class options.  For example, a ninth grader can begin to start AP courses if they are moved to the high school, thus accelerating their academic opportunities.

When?

The original plans had intended these changes to take place by the 2025-2026 school year, although that has been delayed. The most updated plans have confirmed the realignment plans to be formally installed at the start of the 2026-2027 school year. That would mean nobody currently attending CB high schools will be witnessing realignment as students. Current 6th through 9th graders will be the first to experience and witness realignment.  The class of 2030 will be the first group of Freshmen to enter CB South in 2026.

Despite the one-year delay, this plan still faces a very tight timeline. CBSD administrators will only have two years or so to hire a new set of staff (possibly by spring of 2026), confirm teaching certifications, and create an entirely new professional development program for new staff. They will also need to adjust the 6th and 9th grade curriculums within two years as well.

The Space Issue:

Most students and teachers at South will agree: the hallways can feel a bit tight during class changes. This is a concern for all CB High Schools, which are currently within reach of their maximum functional capacities of 85%. Will we need a CB North? Most likely not.  However, the spacing issue does beg the question of HOW we will be able to fit the Freshman class at CB South. First, let’s explore the data:

Focusing on South, there are currently 1,747 students enrolled in our school, which puts the building at 75% capacity. In its current capacity, the entire building can sustain up to 1,988 students at 85% capacity. At the absolute maximum of 100% capacity, the building can hold up to 2,339 students, although it would not be functional or sustainable. When the Freshmen are added to the calculation, the 2024 student population would increase to approximately 2,309 students.

Based on the current trends and student enrollment, South’s student population is projected to grow in the upcoming years. This will certainly bring the school beyond its functional capacity of 85%. Therefore, it is clear that something will need to be done to expand our building if we are going to accommodate the 9th grade class.

Renovations and Expanding CB South:

To resolve the space issue, Central Bucks has proposed a plan to expand the district’s high schools, including South. Our school currently has 25 students per class, 94 full classrooms, 6 small classrooms, and 8 teacher planning areas. Of these classrooms, only 75 are occupied per block and 25 remain unoccupied. The plans to renovate and expand South will add 9 new classrooms and repurpose 3 of the existing teacher planning areas. With the addition of the Freshmen and renovations to the building, the numbers concerning room usage are estimated to increase to 97 occupied classrooms per block and 15 unoccupied classrooms.

Although no architectural plans have been presented yet, there have been conversations suggesting that the expansions may take place in the rear courtyard of South, where the student parking lot is located. The two wings of the building there would be connected by a new structure containing the 9 new classrooms. This would likely be the first major renovation project taking place at South in its 20 year history. The last major expansion projects in CB took place in 2008-10, with Tamanend and Lenape Middle Schools.  Although we have not explored the data regarding CB East or West, they will likely need classroom additions as well. However, their student populations are projected to shrink by 2033-34.

Costs:

Naturally, none of these changes can be implemented for free. According to presentations by the school district, the budget for this project is vast and very costly. In calculating various costs, including a renovation budget, the total six-year cost for implementing this plan between 2023 to 2029 would be 434 million dollars. Within this total, there would be various costs for additional teachers and curriculum changes in the middle schools and elementary schools. In elementary schools, these costs amount to $6,608,920 while the changes in the middle schools would cost $657,750. In the high school, the cost for additional staff, principals, and construction would amount to $1,769,168. South’s renovation would cost up to $44,479,000, alongside additions at CB East and CB West as well.  

Full Day Kindergarten:

The introduction of full day kindergarten in CB would end its years-long offering of only half-day kindergarten programs. The goal of making this change would allow for both academic improvement and ease certain stressors amongst working parents. According to Acting Superintendent Jim Scanlon, full day kindergarten will “enhance academic excellence, promoting the achievement of students by reading grade 3 and mastering math facts by grade 4.” For parents who work full-day jobs, this offering could be beneficial as they would be able to send their children to kindergarten for the entire day and they would not have to search for alternative childcare options outside of a half-day class. This change will be the first part of this plan to be implemented, ahead of the official realignment of grade levels.