Major Redistricting Considered for Williamsburg-James City County Schools

The Williamsburg-James City County school division is preparing for a potential major redistricting across its elementary, middle, and high schools as it plans for the addition of two new pre-kindergarten centers. While the rezoning may primarily impact elementary schools, the school board recently agreed to pursue a comprehensive cost study to explore how all three school levels could be reallocated to improve efficiency.

Construction of the new pre-K centers is set to begin in the spring, with the goal of welcoming students in the fall of 2026. These centers will serve 500 pre-K students—100 more than the current elementary programs—helping to ease overcrowding in elementary schools and allowing the division to remove 14 temporary trailers that currently provide 28 classrooms at all elementary schools except Matoaka.

Deputy Superintendent Daniel Keever emphasized that redistricting will be necessary to make the best use of the space created when pre-K classrooms move out of five elementary schools and into the new centers.

To guide this process, the school division plans to hire a consultant specializing in redistricting, with a request for proposals already in progress. The consultant’s work will evaluate the cost and logistics of redistricting at all school levels, though this does not necessarily mean middle and high schools will be rezoned.

Keever noted that transportation efficiency is a significant challenge under the current attendance boundaries. “Students are transported from one school to another across another school’s boundaries,” he said. Changing those boundaries could reduce travel distances, improve operational efficiency, and require fewer bus drivers.

School board Chair Sarah Ortego clarified that while the consultant’s scope includes all school levels, “If we ask for all three, that does not mean we are absolutely going to redistrict all three. It just means we have the information at the outset.”

Superintendent Olwen Herron highlighted the importance of revisiting school boundaries to address current challenges. “If you change the boundaries, there’s less distance to travel on the bus, which is more efficient,” Herron said. She pointed out that transportation challenges have grown since the last major redistricting in 2018, when the division opened James Blair Middle School.

At that time, socioeconomic status was a key factor in determining attendance boundaries. Moving forward, Herron suggested that proximity to schools may take precedence as a criterion. “It will look very different and it will change the criteria that was used the last time around,” she added.

The school board plans to review updated maps of current boundaries in an upcoming meeting as part of the planning process. These efforts aim to ensure that the addition of the new pre-K centers will not only address overcrowding but also improve transportation efficiency and overall operations within the division.

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.