The Philadelphia district has opened a $44 million elementary school campus to replace a deteriorating facility that was built in 1909.
Chalkbeat Philadelphia reports that the new T.M. Peirce Elementary School is the first school built in North Philadelphia in 70 years.
The school board voted in 2021 to build a new T.M. Peirce after determining that the old building was so full of hazards like lead and mold that it had to be demolished.
Peirce teachers and students will start using the new building in January after the holiday break. They have been housed so far this school year in the nearby Pratt Elementary School building, which closed in 2013 and has been retrofitted to serve as swing space while other schools undergo renovation or construction.
The new building can accommodate 625 students in grades K-6, and features furniture and rooms designed for collaborative work, as well as an auditorium and cafeteria with all the most modern amenities.
