Questions and answers

Established in 1970, the Medford High School has served as a cornerstone of Medford’s educational infrastructure. However, over time in a space that is now over 50 years old, the building has become increasingly outdated and no longer meets the evolving needs of students, educators, or the broader community. The facility’s aging systems, limited space, and lack of modern learning environments have prompted the City to pursue significant renovations and improvements to the high school campus, as explained in the Statement of Interest submitted to the MSBA

After careful consideration and thoughtful studies in collaboration with our OPM, the Medford High School Building Committee has determined that there are no other viable options for sites in the City of Medford other than the existing site. The project will proceed with evaluating options of how to rebuild or renovate the high school at the existing site only.

The feasibility study process will include public meetings, public forums, working group sessions, and more. This website will provide access to all published public documents and presentations throughout the study for easy access.

To sign up for the mailing list about the project, please visit here.

Additionally, you can read monthly reviews of the project provided by our OPM LeftField by in the Monthy Recaps on our website.

The MSBA Core Program is organized into nine modules that guide a district from project eligibility through post-occupancy evaluation. The MSBA provides guidelines that take the project from inception through project closeout and breaks the process down into phases they call Modules. More information can be found here.

The Eligibility Period begins when the MSBA Board invites a district into the program and starts a 270-day period for completing required preliminary activities.

During this phase, the district establishes a School Building Committee, document maintenance practices, confirms design enrollment, obtains local authorization and funding support for Feasibility Study funds, and executes a Feasibility Study Agreement with the MSBA.

Learn more about Module 1 here.

An Owner's Project Manager (OPM) advises on design, value engineering, scope, schedule, cost estimating, and procurement for a project.

MGL c. 149, § 44A½ mandates that public awarding authorities engage an OPM for all public building projects with an estimated cost of $1.5 million or more. For school construction or renovation projects funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the OPM must be approved by the MSBA under MGL c. 70B, § 1.

Learn more about Module 2 here.

The team includes an Owner's Project Manager (OPM), a Designer/Architect, and a Construction Manager if the project proceeds with a Construction Manager at-Risk delivery method, and other consultants as needed.

Districts must follow MSBA procurement procedures, standard Requests for Services (RFS), and contract requirements.

OPM is the owner’s project manager who represents the City of Medford and is in charge of organizing the process and making sure all the appropriate steps are followed throughout the project. The Construction Manager is hired later on to manage and oversee the construction portion of the project. The Designer manages and issues all the design documentation, building design, and educational programming.

This stage of the process took 5-6 months from advertising for an OPM throughout hiring the Designer. Medford hired an LeftField as the project's OPM and hired SMMA as the Designer for the project.

The Feasibility Study evaluates potential solutions to address the district's educational and facility needs while identifying the most cost-effective and educationally appropriate option. This module includes two submissions to the MSBA. The first submission is the Preliminary Design Program (PDP) and the second is the Preferred Schematic Report (PSR). In order to move to the next phase of the process, the MSBA Board of Directors will vote to approve the Preferred Schematic and move the project forward into Schematic Design for further development of the design.

Learn more about Module 3 here.

The Preferred Schematic was approved by the MSBA Board of Directors at their August 2026 meeting. This approval moved the project into the Schematic Design phase. During this phase, the project team develops a detailed conceptual design that establishes the project's scope, budget, and schedule. This creates the basis for financial commitments, local approvals, and MSBA funding decisions.

The high school project is on track to submit a Schematic Design Report to the MSBA no later than February 25, 2027, which would put the project on the April 28, 2027 MSBA Board of Directors meeting for approval.

Learn more about Module 4 here.

Step 1: The project is on track for the MSBA to approve and finalize the project's scope, budget, schedule, and reimbursement amount at their April 28, 2027 Board of Directors meeting. The MSBA Board of Directors must approve the Project Scope and Budget Agreement and funding participation at that time.

Step 2: The Massachusetts Department of Revenue requires that the district appropriate and authorize the total Project cost, including both the district's and the MSBA's share; however, the district will only have to borrow for its portion. The district has 120 days from the MSBA Board of Directors meeting to secure community authorization and financial support.

The project is on track to put the question to Medford residents via ballot vote on June 8, 2027.

Step 3: Once the district secures community authorization and financial support, the MSBA and the district enter into a Project Funding Agreement, which also defines the scope, budget and schedule for the project. Once a Project Funding Agreement is executed, the district can begin submitting requests for reimbursement to the MSBA for project costs beyond the feasibility study.

Learn more about Module 5 here.

The schematic design is refined into complete construction documents and technical specifications. Architectural, engineering, and construction documents that will be used for permitting and bidding are produced during this phase of the project. The project team continues to work closely with the district during this phase to ensure the needs of the district are met from an operational perspective through specified systems, materials, and room layouts.

Learn more about Module 6 here.

The project is built according to the approved plans, specifications, budget, and schedule. The district, OPM, designer, contractors, and MSBA collaborate to monitor progress and compliance throughout construction. The MSBA reviews reports, monitors milestones, and tracks eligible reimbursement costs.

Learn more about Module 7 here.

The district finishes construction, closes contracts, submits required documentation, and confirms project requirements have been met. The project is considered complete once all construction activities, financial closeout activities, and occupancy requirements are successfully concluded. During this phase, the MSBA reviews final eligible costs and processes final grant reimbursements.

Learn more about Module 8 here.

The district and MSBA assess how well the completed facility meets educational, operational, and design goals. The evaluation assesses whether the building is functioning as intended, if the educational goals are being met, and what lessons from the project might apply to future projects.

Learn more about Module 9 here.

SMMA is the project's architect and designer, working with LeftField, the owner's project manager, and the MSBA. Both are currently contracted through the Feasibility and Schematic Design phases, through spring 2027.

A district begins its OPM selection process after the MSBA Board of Directors invites the district into the Feasibility Study phase, and MSBA selects the OPM through Module 1, Forming the Team. An OPM is required on all MSBA projects, and the process is handled through advertising for proposals and interviews, published by the City of Medford, the SBC, and the OPM Selection Committee, and is ultimately subject to approval by the MSBA's OPM panel.

The designer selection is also part of Module 1 - forming the team, and SMMA is contracted as the designer for the Feasibility Study. The Designer Selection Panel consists of 13 appointed members from the MSBA and 3 appointed members from the District. The DSP voted SMMA as the selected designer at the October 7, 2025 meeting.

The SBC decided to use a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method at the February 25, 2026 meeting in a 12/0/3 vote. The SBC then nominated the CM at Risk Selection Subcommittee by majority vote.

The CM at Risk method was chosen because the project is extremely complex, and including the CM during schematic design has shown to be beneficial as it gives CM input during a process that establishes both the project scope and budget. Medford then applied to the State of Massachusetts (OIG) for approval of this approach, which was received on June 22, 2026.

Firms first applied to be prequalified over the summer of 2026; the prequalified firms then submitted proposals and were interviewed in late September by a selection committee, which ranked them on October 5. The selection committee recommended Suffolk Construction to the full building committee on October 6, 2026. The SBC voted to accept Suffolk Construction's recommendation as the highest-ranking applicant and enter contract negotiations from the CM Selection Subcommittee. Negotiations are in process.

Medford Public Schools received more than 100 applications to participate in this project! The team is comprised of a mix of required roles (e.g. Mayor and Superintendent), elected officials, and residents. The School Committee determined the SBC members at the start of the project and periodically makes updates to the team which has 15 voting members and 10 non-voting members. Information on the current SBC members is available here.

Four advisory teams of residents, staff, and students, chosen after a community survey, work with the designer: Educational Planning & Equity; Interior & Exterior Design; Site, Safety & Security; and Sustainability &  MEP Systems. They began in December 2025 and have met at the start of the project and as needed as the design develops and these groups provide feedback. These teams formed to provide input specifically as follows:

The Educational Planning & Equity Advisory Team reviews overall goals from an educational planning perspective, educational programming meetings, and visioning sessions to ensure these goals inform the design.

Interior & Exterior Design Advisory Team reviews exterior design concepts including composition of form and exterior material selections. This team also reviews the products and materials selected for interior finishes, such as flooring, paint colors, wall finishes, and ceilings.

Site, Safety & Security Advisory Team reviews development of the site design for traffic, circulation, safety, and security. Includes conversations about parking, driveways and circulation, fields, and offsite improvements and coordination with City Departments.

Sustainability & MEP Systems Advisory Team reviews preferred MEP systems, sustainable design features and components, healthy materials, site design, and landscape features for environmentally friendly design.

The MSBA provides official comments at each stage of the project. The MSBA's comments for the PDP phase and the PSR phase (cover letter, Document A, and Document B) are available here, along with the district's responses to the PDP comments.

On June 10, 2026, the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee (MCHSBC) chose design C2.2A: a renovation and addition that partially builds on the current high school's footprint. The committee cited better visibility and sight lines; keeping the current pool, gymnasium, and other indoor athletic facilities (all to be renovated); natural light; support from Medford's Police and Fire Chiefs; no need for modular classrooms; and the lowest cost of the addition/renovation options. Community feedback gathered in the spring also favored C2.2A.

The Preferred Schematic Report identifying C2.2A as the chosen design was submitted to the MSBA on June 25, 2026, and the MSBA Board approved it on August 26, 2026, moving the project into the Schematic Design Phase.

During the eligibility period, the MSBA and the City of Medford agreed on the school's designed capacity based on an enrollment study that reviewed historical enrollment, birth rates, and planned development. The study also considered planned development and the likelihood of changes in the number of school-aged children. The study and the MSBA's enrollment certification are on this site with the Module 1 documents.

Design C2.2A keeps the current pool, gymnasium, and other indoor athletic facilities, and renovates them. Because the MSBA does not reimburse for a pool, the committee also reviewed pool alternatives as part of its cost review and determined that renovating the existing pool was preferred. This decision allows the City to include the costs and management of the renovation within the overall project, rather than having to develop and manage a separate effort to renovate the pool.

The MSBA reimburses an auditorium of up to 750 seats; the MSBA also allows communities to build auditoriums up to 1,000 seats if the community prefers. In this instance, the city bears 100% of the costs of seats over 750. The SBC weighed options including 1,000, 800, 750, and 500 seats. In August 2026, the SBC selected a 750-seat auditorium for the project.

Yes. As of October 2026, these programs will continue to be housed on the high school campus. The City of Medford, in collaboration with the project team, could not identify alternative locations that meet the needs outlined in the educational plan. The City of Medford continues to study Curtis-Tufts as a possible location in the near term.

The goal of the project is to maintain all current programs and activities at the high school.

No. After a detailed review of the existing spaces and the program needs, there are modest increases to special education and vocational spaces. All spaces planned are reimbursable.

CTE spaces are based on DESE guidelines and driven by program-level student enrollment. The project team worked with our CTE staff to identify space efficiencies that do not conflict with DESE guidelines, and the SBC accepted those efficiencies between June and October 2026.

All Special Education spaces will be reviewed and approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to ensure specialized programming needs are met in the design. The MSBA reimburses Special Education spaces in full once DESE approval is received.

Yes! We plan on keep the existing programming of both the CTE programs and the traditional curriculum while also incorporating several new CTE programs. These new programs, as listed in our Chapter 74 viability document submitted to the MSBA, include Dental Assisting, Criminal Justice, Plumbing/HVAC, and IT Networking.

For a further explanation on the size of the CTE spaces, please watch the video here from the project team.

The concept of a Teen Health Center was developed well before the High School entered the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process. At that time, the district's Health Services Department determined that the school's existing layout did not support a feasible partnership model for this type of center. The new school design creates an opportunity to provide dedicated space for health services that can better support students' physical, behavioral, and emotional well-being.

Teen Health Centers are successfully operating in many Massachusetts communities and help reduce barriers to care by providing convenient access to services where students spend most of their day. These centers can support preventive care, health education, behavioral health services, referrals, and care coordination while helping students avoid missed class time for routine appointments.

The Teen Health Center proposed for Medford would operate through a partnership with a qualified healthcare provider. Staffing plans and the specific scope of services will be developed by the qualified provider before the center opens and will comply with all applicable state, local, and healthcare regulations. School nurses will continue to provide the health services they currently deliver, while the Teen Health Center would offer additional resources and access to licensed healthcare professionals. The use of the Teen Health Center would be voluntary, and access, privacy, and confidentiality requirements would be consistent with Massachusetts law and applicable healthcare regulations.

Once the district identifies a partner, it will collaborate on hours of operation, community access, and other key details.  

Yes.

Yes. As is the case now, the recording studio will be shared. This space will be built to support the CTE program and the educational program of Medford High School. Medford Community Media will use the space during non-school hours. The project also includes office space for the MCM staff because there is not space elsewhere in the city to house the team. This office space is non-reimbursable by the MSBA.

The site design assumed about 450 parking spaces. After additional coordination with District stakeholders, the current parking count target is 477. Details on the breakdown of the 477 spaces are available here.

There will still only be one entrance & exit to the school. Steve Miller Drive will be widened to improve traffic flow to and from Winthrop Street. In addition, a revised campus site layout will separate bus drop-off, car drop-off, and parking. Traffic patterns around the site will change significantly to alleviate the current traffic issues.

Emergency access is an ongoing discussion. No additional details are available at this time.

No. The new construction brings the high school onto the near field at Edgerly, so Edgerly will be offline for part of the project. The construction team is currently developing the building's phasing plan. Once complete, there will be more information on the impacted timeline.

Upon completion, the current site of Edgerly will include one regulation football field, as well as soccer and lacrosse. The project will also install a regulation track. The design will also integrate stadium seating. A second field will be created where the main parking lot currently is. It will be a regulation multi-purpose field for soccer and lacrosse. Our current fields are undersized, and this project will expand both and increase student access to athletics on the site.

No. The committee chose design C2.2A, among other reasons, because it requires no modular classrooms. The building will be built in phases, and students will move into each new part as it is finished, so the school opens in stages rather than all at once.

The current schedule is tentative and will be refined once the construction manager comes on board in November 2026. The schedule cannot be finalized until Medford residents approve the project in June 2027. The tentative schedule is:

• Summer 2027: site preparation begins
• Summer 2028 – Fall 2030: Phase 1 construction
• Fall 2030 – Fall 2032: Phase 2 construction
• Fall 2032 – Spring 2033: Phase 3 construction
• Spring 2034: site work complete

The entire project team shares a goal of minimizing impact on students during the construction of the new MHS. Students will begin learning in the new parts of the building once Phase 1 is complete. There will be a series of temporary changes to the location of classrooms and programs throughout the construction phase. The exact details of these temporary changes are being developed at this time and will be shared with the SBC when the construction phasing plan is fully developed.

The construction manager will be responsible for ensuring that the project is safe and secure at all times. This typically starts with a secured fence around the perimeter to avoid unauthorized access, along with other safety features that will be implemented once construction begins.

Final numbers are not yet available. The first full construction estimate will be complete by early February 2027, during the Schematic Design Phase. The MSBA reimbursement for eligible costs will be voted on at the April 2027 MSBA Board of Directors Meeting.

As of the October 6, 2026 meeting, the total project cost is estimated at $699,862,410, with Medford's share estimated at about $481 million after expected MSBA reimbursement.

The MSBA's exact contribution is not known yet; however, it cannot go below the rate determined during the feasibility study, which is 53.32% of eligible costs, and the project team anticipates achieving the following 6.61% additional points:

• 3.00% for Energy Efficiency
• 1.00% for Indoor Air Quality
• 1.79% for Routine & Capital Maintenance
• 0.82% for Renovation/Re-use

The MSBA has begun providing answers on spaces that ARE and ARE NOT eligible for reimbursement. Those comments can be viewed here.

Medford voters will be asked to approve a debt exclusion and a temporary tax increase to pay the city's share in June 2027, after the MSBA and the city agree on the project's final scope and budget. If the vote passes, the city and the MSBA sign the funding agreement, and the project moves into detailed design and construction.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) does not fund the entire cost of a school project. Instead, it reimburses a percentage of eligible costs based on statewide standards for educational space, construction costs, and project scope. The MSBA aims to help communities build safe, functional schools while ensuring state funding is used consistently and fairly across Massachusetts. Communities must pay for costs that exceed MSBA limits or for optional enhancements instead of core educational needs.

For example, swimming pools are not reimbursable through a standard MSBA school project. Auditoriums are reimbursable only up to the MSBA's approved size limits (750 seats). If a district chooses to build a larger auditorium, gymnasium, or other space than the MSBA allows, the city is responsible for the additional cost. Similarly, the MSBA will not reimburse costs that exceed funding caps or fall outside the approved project scope.

The City of Medford's finance team, financial consultants, the MHS project team, and the Finance Task Force are developing the funding program for the project. This work is complex and will continue until the City receives the first construction estimates in January/February 2027. At that time, the City will present the project funding program and release details about the anticipated tax impact.

The City of Medford and Medford Public Schools are also preparing to kick off a capital campaign to help pay for project elements that are not eligible for MSBA reimbursement. Details about this effort will be shared as they are available.

Reimbursement rates are calculated based on a formula established in Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 70B, Section 10 (M.G.L. c. 70B § 10). This formula is a combination of community "ability-to-pay" base points and project-specific incentive points.

All districts start at a Base Rate of 31 percentage points, which is then adjusted based on the following three "Ability-to-Pay" socioeconomic factors.

1) Community Income Factor (0-12 percentage points), which looks at MA DOR Per capita income.

2) Community Property Wealth Factor (0-28 percentage points), which looks at MA DOR per capita equalized property valuation.

3) Community Poverty Factor (0-17 percentage points), which looks at eligibility for Federal Free/Reduced Lunch as reported through DESE.

Medford's current base rate + community points equals 53.32%.

Once the base and community points are established, and after the schematic design is complete, the MSBA, in its sole discretion, can review if a district is eligible for up to 18 project-specific Incentive Points. Current categories of Incentive Points are:

• Newly Formed Regional School District (up to 6 percentage points)
• Green Schools Program – Energy Efficiency (up to 3 percentage points)
• Green Schools Program – Indoor Air Quality (up to 1 percentage point)
• Best Practices for Routine and Capital Maintenance (up to 2 percentage points)
• Overlay Zoning (MGL 40R or 40S) (up to 1.5 percentage points)
• Renovation/Re-use of Existing Facilities (up to 5 percentage points)

The MSBA has seen dramatic cost increases in school construction in recent years due to market factors and material costs. When comparing our project to neighboring communities, the project start and completion timeline is a critical factor. This interactive comparison tool allows you to compare our project to a wide variety of high schools in the region. For comparison, we have escalated past projects to the planned timeline for the Medford High School project. The tool also provides important context about the project for significant cost drivers such as phased construction, site complexity, inclusion of CTE programs, and more.

A Sustainability & MEP Systems advisory team works with the designer, SMMA, on energy, water, materials, and indoor air. The team presented its work at Community Forum #6 on September 17, 2026, and it was recorded. The team also compared the design options on embodied carbon and long-term operating cost (a life-cycle cost analysis). Some of the sustainability goals outlined for the project include:

• Strive to achieve net-zero energy (as technically feasible) through integrated passive design strategies, all-electric high-efficiency systems, and on-site renewable energy generation;
• Prioritize LEED healthy materials points to obtain the additional 1% MSBA reimbursement.
• Prioritize water efficiency and stewardship to reduce indoor potable water consumption by a minimum of 30%; while trying to eliminate potable water for irrigation use;
• Minimize the total cost of ownership, designing operational systems, controls and monitoring to substantially reduce energy, water, and maintenance costs over the life of the building.

• Questions that need an answer: [email protected].
• Comments for every committee member: [email protected], which forwards to all members.
• In person: committee meetings are open to the public, with time for public comment on agenda items (three minutes per person for each topic, which the chair may shorten to two).

Yes. Meetings are usually held in the Medford High School library and online, streamed on the Medford Public Schools YouTube channel and on Medford Community Media (Comcast 9, 8 or 22; Verizon 43, 45 or 47). Recordings are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@medfordpublicschools464

Agendas, with the Zoom link, are posted on this site and the City's calendar in accordance with the Open Meeting Law.