Replacement elementary school under construction in Baltimore

Students were moved out of the existing Furley Elementary nearly 8 years ago because of the building's structural problems.

The Baltimore City school district has broken ground on a replacement elementary school.

WYPR.org reports that the start of construction on a new Furley Elementary School comes nearly eight years after students were removed from the building because of structural problems.

“The building is failing structurally,” said Maurice Gaskins, director of construction for Baltimore City Public Schools. “So we have buckets [on the roof] filled with cement, as a counterweight to help to keep the facade in place.”

For now, Furley Elementary students are housed in the building previously known as Thurgood Marshall High School

The new Furley will be able to educate nearly 700 students, WMAR-TV reports.

It will have a music and art center, a recreation center, and an early learning special education classroom.

New play spaces will be built for the school, and an outdoor pollinator garden is under development as well.

The new building is set to open in August 2024.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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