New New Brunswick High School

Category: Future

The demonstration project proposed by the New Brunswick School District and the City of New Brunswick is a new 400,000 square foot high school for 2,000 students proposed for the City’s “Route 27—Jersey Avenue Redevelopment Area.” It is being designed to offer students and community residents a comprehensive approach to health and spaces that foster community service and school-community interaction, while also serving as an anchor and support for proposed housing and commercial redevelopment activities.

The proposed school facility project is a new two and three story high school to be constructed on a 26-acre site in New Brunswick. The new high school is expected to accommodate students in four 3-story educational pods connected to a central core structure housing indoor athletic facilities, gymnasium, auditorium and other common and administrative spaces. There are no ineligible spaces and, therefore, the entire demonstration project qualifies for State share funding.

Community design features of the high school are intended to advance four general goals and include facilities and programs to:

1. Encourage a healthy student body;
2. Facilitate school-parent-community engagement;
3. Foster social service support;
4. Enable school-community partnerships

In order to advance its healthy schools goal, the school district has planned a student health services center that will provide a comprehensive range of preventative medical services and dental care. The district is currently considering partnerships with such providers as the Chandler Health Center, which is a public health facility that is affiliated with the UMDNJ Medical School in New Brunswick. Indoor and outdoor athletic facilities planned for joint student/community use would round out the district’s healthy schools plans.

Facilities designed to engage the community includes parent/community rooms that are intended to provide space for parents and families of students to meet, plan and organize with school staff and administration. Also planned is the school’s broadcast center, which will provide access to radio and television outlets to publicize community programs and activities. The school district is also exploring linkage with a local cable access channel.

The district-operated PIC-C program will provide counseling, education, medical, social, and childcare services to newborn and young children of district students. This program has been in operation for five years and has been very successful in reducing the pregnancy rate among the district’s students.

Community Partnership facilities include spaces for a student career center, performing and visual arts programs and a labor training program that will be coordinated with the local workforce investment board and area employers.

The proposed demonstration project will be an anchor and support for proposed housing and commercial and economic development activities along the Somerset Street/Route 27 corridor. The City is working with local community development corporations to expand successful downtown development to the community to be served by the proposed demonstration project.

The project will be managed by the New Brunswick Housing and Redevelopment Authority as the redevelopment entity and the New Brunswick Development Corp (DEVCO) as the Redeveloper. Professional services are provided by Vitetta as the architect, civil engineering and environmental consulting by RBA Group and PMK Group, respectively. Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc. will provide construction management and general contracting services.

Projected construction completion date is June 2010.
Last updated: 4/30/2007