NORFOLK, Va. — Ten Norfolk schools are set to consolidate, and after a series of meetings, a preliminary plan — that still needs to be voted on by the school board — has been provided to the committee spearheading the effort.
In March, Norfolk City Council tasked the school district with developing a plan to consolidate and close 10 schools, while opting to renovate or repurpose others.
The resolution, passed unanimously by the city council, asks the school board to come up with a plan by Aug. 1. The district would then close two schools a year starting before the 2026-2027 school year.
Norfolk
Documents show proposed plans for Norfolk schools restructuring
The initiative to close schools is meant to ease financial strain caused by surplus school capacity — a situation where a school district has more seats available than the number of students enrolled — and funnel savings into critical capital improvement projects, to fix area high schools and build new elementary schools to replace aging structures.
A committee was tasked with assessing numerous data points to determine which schools are the most fit to be closed. They also gathered community feedback to come up with a tentative plan, which also includes a proposal for renovating, repurposing, or rebuilding existing Norfolk public schools
The committee recommended carrying out the following consolidation plan over the next seven years.
Schools recommended to close:
- Willoughby Early Childhood Center
- Granby Elementary
- Tarrallton Elementary
- Norview Elementary
- Lindenwood Elementary
- Norfolk Technical Center
- P.B. Young Elementary
- Ghent School
- Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs Facility
- Berkley-Campostella Early Childhood Center
Schools recommended to be repurposed:
- Oceanair Elementary
- St. Helena Elementary
- Monroe Elementary
- Lake Taylor High School
- Chesterfield Academy
Schools recommended to rebuild:
- Suburban Park Elementary
- Jacox Elementary
- Maury High School
Sewells Point Elementary was the only school that the committee recommended for renovation.
(Key: Red pins are proposed closures, yellow pins are proposed for repurpose, red pins are proposed rebuilt, and the orange pin is proposed renovation)
Norfolk schools have faced an enrollment decline in recent years, the committee's report says it "has been the most pronounced at the elementary level."
Norfolk currently has 30 public elementary schools and early childhood centers.
This plan is preliminary and still requires approval from the Norfolk School Board to be put into action.
There will be community engagement sessions regarding the recommendations. Both are on Thursday, June 26, 2025. There will be a session from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Booker T. Washington High School and another at Granby High School from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
News 3 is reaching out to the school district for comment on the preliminary plan.
