Middletown Parents Protest School Closures In Croydon Hall Rally

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Dozens of Middletown parents, many with their children who will be directly impacted, held a rally Sunday to protest the impending closure of three schools in the district.

News 12 has photos of the protest, which was held at Croydon Hall. The Save Middletown Schools group was the organizer of the protest.

“We’re kind of confused here as a community,” Katie Littlepage told News 12. “In January of 2026, we were told at a public Board of Education meeting that our community schools are valued and that we were in a good financial position. Then the very next month we were surprised.”

The Middletown school board voted last month to close Navesink and Leonardo elementaries, and move those students into Bayshore Middle School, which will cease operating as a middle school. It will become the new Bayshore Elementary. The school district said it plans to start closing the schools down when the school year ends in June.

The county school superintendent still has to approve Middletown school district's budget for next year, which will include the school closures/consolidation. The budget will be presented at the next Middletown school board meeting, scheduled for March 24 in the auditorium at Middletown High School North (it is usually held in the library, but a very large crowd is expected).

Two weeks ago, a group of seven Middletown parents filed an appeal petition with the New Jersey Department of Education, seeking to block the district's attempt to close the two elementary schools and a middle school. That 206-page appeal is still pending. 7 Middletown Parents File Appeal With State, Seeking To Block School Closures (March 6)

Leonardo, Navesink Elementaries, Bayshore Middle School Will Close At End Of June (March 5)

Next Middletown School Board Meeting Will Be March 24