Bond Update: August 2021

The groundbreaking ceremonies at the two middle schools, occurring in May at the “North Hills” site and in July at the “South Hills” site, were a great success thanks to the community members, students, school officials, and elected officials in attendance. In August 2020, our community voted to pass a $200 million bond, and the work to improve and expand Bloomfield Hills Schools is well underway! Series 1 work will focus on the design and construction at the two middle school sites as well as additions at Conant and Way Elementary Schools. Totaling $94,045,000, Series 1 work takes place from now until 2023. From 2023 until 2026, Series 2 work, involving $106,110,000 total, will focus on the renovations of elementary schools currently located at East Hills and West Hills Middle School campuses. Series 2 also includes pool construction at the “North Hills” middle school site, and renovations at Bloomfield Hills High School, International Academy, Wing Lake School, the E.L. Johnson Nature Center, Bowers School Farm, Bloomin’ Preschools, the Transportation department and Bus Depot, Booth Center, and Fox Hills. In total, the design and construction of all the bond projects will take 6 ½ years to complete. For all of the design work, at every school building, school administrators work closely with the architects, so that instruction of our students drives the construction design process.

Middle Schools Construction: Construction at the “North Hills” site has no impact on students since the site is currently empty. Construction at the current Bloomfield Hills Middle School building began this summer, and will have limited impact on the students when they return to school in September. Principal Randy English will be sending regular updates in emails to families, to keep them apprised of where construction is taking place in the school. Thank you for your patience as we improve the learning environment! Click here to view renderings of our new middle schools. As you can see from these images, the changes coming to our middle schools will be amazing! “North Hills” and “South Hills” are temporary names for these two campuses, and the official school names will be determined leading up to the 2023 school openings. 

Catchment Update: The work of the community catchment forum is underway, and administrative teams have met regularly to collectively review and develop multiple options for a revised catchment map. This revised catchment map will align with Bloomfield Hills Schools’ guiding principles for learning. Every family that currently resides within Bloomfield Hills Schools boundaries will remain in our schools; only catchment areas may change. The goal of the revised catchment map is to create four equitably sized elementary schools, with approximately 550 students in each K-5 building. 

Elementary Schools: In fall of 2023, there will be four elementary schools, and each building will serve Kindergarten through grades 5. Way and Conant Elementary Schools will receive major renovations and additions, and will remain in their current locations. Students currently attending Lone Pine Elementary School will be moving to where West Hills Middle School currently stands, and students currently attending Eastover Elementary School will be moving to the current East Hills Middle School location. The East Hills and West Hills buildings will each receive major renovations. There will be a phased approach to the construction in an effort to limit disruption to learning during the school year. By 2023, all classrooms will be renovated, but some spaces, like multi-purpose rooms, may still be under construction in the 2023-24 school year. 

Furniture and Technology: Piloted furniture has been ordered and will be introduced into our elementary and middle schools sometime this fall. Students will have opportunities to share feedback on these new learning spaces, which will inform decisions about furniture and technology for our re-configured schools in the fall of 2023. More updates to come!