The sixth and newest high school in Stafford County will most likely be located in the Hartwood District.
The county School Board on January 14 approved a plan to limit a countywide search for a new plot of land on which the new school will be built to the southwest corner of the county.
About 80 acres will be needed for the new school. The Board aims to limit the size and scope of the search now being performed by a consultant, which is looking for a new school site.
The new high school won’t be open until September 2025, about two years after its original projected opening date. By that time, county schools are projected to be at 90% capacity as more people move to the area. At about the same time, school officials say they could be looking at building the county’s seventh high school.
A final projection of the number of students that will fill the seats at the sixth high school building is expected later this year. Officials are using attendance maps dated September 30, 2019, to make current decisions. Those new projections will include student estimates for the next 10 years, we’re told.
Putting the school in Hartwood would require moving the least amount of students from other schools as possible, about 1,800. Aquia District School Board representative Irene Hollerback motioned to approve. It was seconded by Rock Hill District member Patricia Healy and passed 6-1.
Garrisonville School Board represent Pamela Yeung voted against, arguing that the school site should be located in the northeast section of the county, instead.
Hollerback countered and said that traffic congestion Route 1 is a nightmare, and that would make getting to and from the school difficult for school buses. Locating the sixth high school there would also mean moving more students from other schools, about 2,900.
Putting the sixth high school in Hartwood also eliminates the so-called Colonial Forge attendance bubble. The island is noted on the map above between the green Mountain View High School and orange Stafford High School attendance areas. Stafford High was supposed to accommodate the students who live on the island, but since the school was built under capacity when it opened in 2015, those students currently attend Colonial Forge High School.
Hartwood District School Board representative Holly Hazard asked school officials to begin designing the sixth high school building, as well as to begin eyeing the new specialty programs that it will offer its students. Those programs may include advanced placement programs, JROTC, and career and technical education.
She also asked staff to look for a piece of land large enough for multiple schools, where an elementary and middle school could also be built. This, she said, would help to accommodate future growth.
