Pennsbury High School Construction Moving Forward Ahead Of Fall

Site work continues on the new $269.5 million Pennsbury High School after a summer of site clearing, land reshaping, and foundation setting.

In a video update provided last week, district officials said that workers are starting preparation on the gymnasium and swimming pool areas of the site, while foundation work continues and extra soil is being temporarily stored adjacent to Falcon Field.

The update comes after the Pennsbury School Board Facilities Committee received a presentation on the project’s status last week.

Construction on the 495,000-square-foot high school began in late spring and picked up after the conclusion of the school year.

Over the summer, crews focused on installing stormwater lines, basins, berms, and sanitary lines, along with completing a street tie-in. Crews have also laid concrete footings, piers, and foundations for building pads, while connecting underground electrical and plumbing systems, officials said.

“Things are happening, and I think it’s pretty exciting,” Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith said recently. “Before we know it, before winter comes, steel will be rising to the sky.”

The new high school is designed by KCBA Architects and is planned to accommodate between 2,800 and 3,000 students and staff.

Pennsbury officials said there is a projected opening date of September 2029.

Demolition of the existing East and West campus buildings is scheduled for October 2029.

Plans show the new school will feature an eight-lane swimming pool, a 3,000-seat gymnasium, an 800-seat auditorium with specialized arts space, and a 250-foot-long commons area containing eight study nooks. Restroom plans feature gender-neutral facilities with sinks positioned in monitored corridors.

Security measures include a secure entry vestibule outfitted with bulletproof glass and more than 300 security cameras.

The site design also allows space for a potential 40-classroom expansion to accommodate future enrollment growth.

Funding for the construction will come through borrowed funds paired with a 14.6-mill property tax increase phased over four years.

The school board and administrators have said a new high school is needed, but it has drawn criticism from some local residents worried about total cost, the overall footprint of the building, and the impact on neighboring properties.

All contracted workers for the project are required to obtain necessary clearances, and that construction zones will be fenced off and isolated from students and active school events, district staff said earlier this year.