Carmel To Close And Rebuild 2 Elementary Schools

Two Carmel elementary school buildings will be closed in the coming years and replaced with new buildings.

The Carmel Clay School Board voted 4-1 to make the decision Monday night to close Orchard Park Elementary and build a new elementary school at Clay Center Road. Carmel Elementary will also be closed, and a new building will be built on its current site.

Students will remain in the current schools for the next three years. The new
buildings will open in 2021.

District leaders say the current buildings are too old. And Orchard Park Elementary will be moved five miles to the northwest to account for an increase in enrollment in that area.

After Monday's meeting, the school board released a statement: 

The CCS School Board made the difficult decision tonight to close Orchard Park Elementary and build a new elementary school at Clay Center Road which will open in July of 2021 along with a new Carmel Elementary facility built on its current site.

It was a difficult recommendation for CCS Administration to bring to the Board and for the Board to approve since Orchard Park Elementary has been a special school in our community and big part of many students, teachers, and community members lives over the years. We are fortunate to live in a community where people are passionate about their schools and education.

The recommendation was based on providing every student in our community, both now and in the future, a 21st century learning environment in the most efficient and fiscally responsible manner. It is now our task to design and build those special learning facilities and work hard over the next three years to make these transitions a positive experience for the students and families we serve.