Pennsbury Narrows Architect List For New High School

FALLSINGTON, PA —The Pennsbury School District has narrowed its list of architects being considered to design its new high school and is holding a public meeting Thursday to update the public on the process.

Schools Superintendent Thomas A. Smith said that after a public forum last month in which four architects presented design plans to the public for the new school high, two architects have made the cut before the district will decide on one firm for its new high school.

The Pennsbury School Board voted 8-1 to build a new high school over making renovations to its West campus last year.

The vote authorized the school district to hire an architect and get the building going on a school that would open for the 2029 school year and may cost between $250 million and $277 million.

The district had received proposals from nine architects and then identified four finalists who "brought a unique vision and experience" to the construction of a new high school, Smith said.

The four firms (KCBA, Schrader, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, and Perkins Eastman) recently presented concepts of their vision of a new Pennsbury High School at a public meeting. Click here to see their presentations.

"It is important to remember that these are only concepts," Smith said. "Creating the final design will take a year and will likely look much different.

The superintendent said that two architectural firms have been selected and will be interviewed during a special Pennsbury School Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7.

One finalist will be selected and approved at the March 21 regular board meeting, Smith said.

Once an architect is selected, the design process will include "multiple opportunities for community members, students, and staff to provide input," the superintendent said.

Regular updates during the design process will be shared with the community. The final design will be formally presented at a public Act 34 hearing/presentation that will take place sometime during the spring of 2025.

The school board had approved a 4.1 percent tax increase in its 2023-2024 school budget as a "downpayment" for a new high school.

Before that decision, school officials were weighing merger options with the Morrisville School District.