Building on our tradition of excellence, Delaware City Schools is partnering with our community to reimagine the facilities and learning environments that will empower Pacer students for generations to come.
The city of Delaware continues to see steady growth, which directly impacts our school enrollment and building capacity. To manage this effectively, Delaware City Schools is developing a Master Facilities Plan. This process uses verifiable data to ensure our learning environments remain safe, functional, and prepared for the future of our community.
The following projections illustrate the specific trends our planning process is designed to address:
Residential units remaining in the development pipeline that will contribute to future enrollment
Year-over-year rebound in local births, signaling a new wave of students entering the district by 2029
Projected student enrollment by 2035—a conservative, data-driven baseline for our long-term planning
This master planning initiative is a direct result of Mission: Delaware, a comprehensive listening tour that engaged our community to understand the district’s culture and long-term needs. To prepare for Delaware2040—our 15-year outlook for the district—we are aligning these community values with essential data, including our 10-year enrollment forecast and population growth projections.
The findings from this process reflect the human foundation of our schools while addressing the logistical requirements of a growing community. By integrating technical data with community insights, we have established a roadmap to ensure our district remains proactive, functional, and prepared for the future.
Delaware City Schools is engaged in a collaborative master planning initiative spanning from February 2026 through July 2027. This process integrates deep community input with coordination from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) to ensure our facilities plan reflects local values and professional standards. The initiative utilizes comprehensive building assessments and expert demographic data to address the district’s long-term growth and capacity needs.
The three phases outlined below provide a structured approach to analyzing our current facilities and developing a sustainable strategy for our future. To ensure a transparent process, we will post regular progress updates, data findings, and technical reports here as they become available.
The process begins with an objective, data-driven analysis of our current facilities to establish a factual baseline. This phase includes three technical evaluations alongside an analysis of our community’s growth trajectory:
In this stage, a Community Advisory Team (CAT)—a group of local stakeholders representing a cross-section of our community—will utilize the assessment data to explore different conceptual approaches. This team will develop models based on three primary components:
The final phase focuses on narrowing the drafted concepts into a single, cohesive Master Facilities Plan. The Community Advisory Team will synthesize technical data and community feedback to identify the most viable path forward for the district. This final recommendation will be presented to the Board of Education as a strategic roadmap, equipped with a clear implementation timeline and financial strategy, to guide Delaware City Schools through 2030 and beyond.
Effective long-term planning requires a commitment to transparency and ongoing dialogue with the families and neighbors we serve. As we develop a strategic roadmap to manage our district’s growth and evolving needs, your input is essential to ensuring our school facilities reflect the values of the community.
We invite all Pacer residents to participate in the upcoming engagement phases as we move from technical assessments toward final recommendations. Please visit our Community Involvement Hub to learn how you can get involved.