School Bond Project Updates
last reviewed: February 23, 2026
Together with our community, Orange County Schools is moving forward with purpose to ensure that school construction projects address the district's facility needs and allocate resources efficiently, to support excellence in education and optimize operational effectiveness.
In November 2024, Orange County voters approved a $300 million general obligation bond to fund major school construction projects for Orange County Schools (OCS) and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS).
To inform the Orange County Board of Education in its decision-making process for the $125 million allotted to our district, OCS asked students, families, staff, and community: "What do you most want to see in our new or renovated school facilities?"
Community Input for Selecting a Bond Project
Guided by public feedback and facility condition assessments in the Woolpert Report commissioned by Orange County, the Board of Education explored three strategies for the first major school construction project.
woolpert State of facilities report
woolpert long-range facilities optimization plan
The Board again invited input and received professional guidance on feasibility, cost, and other factors to improve the student experience while making efficient use of valuable public resources.
Having weighed all this input, the Board chose the K-5 elementary school option on a greenfield site. Next, the Board will choose qualified professionals for the first major project and master-planning needs to help "right-size" the Board's portfolio of facilities.
School Bond Project Option Selected
K-5 Elementary School on Greenfield (New) Site
After exploring three options, the Board of Education selected a new K-5 elementary school on a greenfield site as the first major project funded by the 2024 school bond (May 5, 2025).
Click the image above to enlarge
Moving Forward: Next Steps
In Fall and Winter 2025, the Board approved design and project management firms to guide the building of a new school to be opened in 2029.
Key initiatives for the Spring of 2026 include:
📐🏗️ Educational Design Standards and Guidelines
In December 2025, a Selection Committee of OCS staff offered their recommendations to the Board of Education for School Designer and Project Management firms.
Most of these staff serve on the Design Committee that collaborates with designers and project managers in planning the new K-5 elementary school.
A set of Educational Design Standards and Guidelines will be developed in the Programming phase of designing the new K-5 elementary school.
These documents will be in ongoing development throughout the first half of 2026.
📍🏫 Data Collection on School Utilization and Capacity
OCS staff continue to work with OREd/ITRE (Operations Research and Education Laboratory at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, NC State University) to review school attendance zones in support of project planning, facilities master planning, and optimized use of school facilities.
-
Since 1990, OREd has used an innovative Integrated Planning for School and Community (IPSAC) toolkit to assist decision makers in the school planning process.
Facilities assessments in the Woolpert Report are among the factors considered in the decision-making process.
Timeline of School Bond Updates
To guide their decision-making process, the Board of Education has relied on community input, updates from staff about the facility conditions, and expert analysis of the most efficient pathways toward new and renovated learning environments that support student success.
Here is a summary of community input, staff updates, and decisions by the Board related to school bond construction projects:
State of Schools and Long Range Facilities Optimization
In 2023, Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools collaborated with Orange County to assess school facilities for long and short-term strategic investments that make the best financial and educational sense.
Along with the ongoing OCS 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan, two reports by the architecture and engineering firm, Woolpert, have helped to inform the selection of construction projects that align with the Board of Education's priorities:
For More Information
To review past actions of the Board or view the Board's future meeting calendar, visit the links below.
follow Board and COmmittee Meetings on simbli Follow the Board Calendar on this website
last updated February 23, 2026
Archived Updates
- Second Community Input Survey, March-May 2025
- Update on Community Input, Round 1: February - March 2025
- Community Input Survey, February-March 2025
- Bond Update, October 2024
