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For more than two decades, students at Newark’s University High School have been promised a new building. On Wednesday, officials said they’re closer to delivering.
“I was principal of this high school in 2006, when this new school was supposed to be built,” district Superintendent Roger León said Wednesday at a press conference on the construction site. “So to see it being realized 20 years later — as the superintendent of schools — it’s been a long time coming.”
New Jersey Schools Development Authority and Newark district officials broke ground on the project in August, with site preparations for University High School slated to continue through the first quarter of 2027. An ongoing $3.3 million early site demolition phase will ensure that the SDA-owned site is “shovel ready” by the anticipated construction start date.
“This initial project phase marks the first step of the journey to opening a new high school building that will have educational spaces and resources to help students become college and career ready for the years ahead,” said SDA CEO Manuel Da Silva.
The high school, which is expected to open in 2029, will serve a maximum of 1,080 students in the building’s 198,000-square-foot facility. The project’s total estimated cost is $173 million.
Plans also include the demolition of the adjacent Hawthorne Avenue Elementary, one of the oldest active public schools in New Jersey. Those students would eventually move to the old University High School, located less than half a mile away.
While there is no firm date for students switching schools, school board officials said they will not move until both construction of the new high school and renovations to the old one are complete.
In New Jersey, the SDA is the state agency tasked with funding the construction and renovations in Newark Public Schools and 30 other historically high-poverty districts.
The new University High School is part of an ongoing effort by the SDA to replace 13 of Newark’s educational buildings. Since 2006, the SDA has completed eight school projects.
The city has grappled with aging infrastructure and overcrowding across the district, with new construction aiming to address these issues. Students in Newark have dealt with outdated infrastructure, with more than half of district buildings over a century old.
State Sen. Theresa Ruiz said the new University High School is cause for celebration, but significant work needs to be done to adequately serve all of Newark’s students.
“When we talk about meeting the 21st century agenda of curriculum, and you don’t have the buildings that can outfit that purpose, we have a problem,” she said.