Avenel Street School 4/5 Expansion Starts Wednesday

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Wednesday morning will be the groundbreaking for the major expansion planned at Avenel Street School 4/5.

The elementary school expansion is intended to create a “state-of-the-art” learning facility, said Woodbridge schools superintendent Joseph Massimino.

What's being built at School 4/5 is:

• Ten additional classrooms
• A new spacious gymnasium
• A new cafeteria
• A new media center
• New administrative offices
• A new spacious interior courtyard that the district hopes will become a “go-to” place for students to meet and socialize.
• The addition will also have a modern canopy system to block the sun

The district says the expansion will be "mindful of the original building’s character." School 4/5 is currently a small, one-story school building on Avenel Street.

The Woodbridge school district originally planned to build an entirely new Avenel Elementary school building, and it would have been located on Rahway Avenue. Construction even started in 2022. But costs skyrocketed by more than $15 million due to inflation and the cost of raw materials.

So, instead of building an entirely new school, the Woodbridge school district decided to stop construction and pivot to instead do "significant renovations" at the existing School 4/5 on Avenel Street.

In 2023, Woodbridge residents were asked in a public referendum (vote) if they approved the school district making significant renovations to the school, and a majority of Woodbridge voters said "yes." (Although vote turnout was very low for the special election held last March; only four percent of Woodbridge's 68,000 registered voters voted.)

The renovations will cost the district approximately $32 million. Massimino and Mayor John McCormac said multiple times no additional money will be requested from taxpayers. The district already took out an $87.7 million bond for this, and other Woodbridge school projects.

About 40 percent of the renovations will be funded by state aid. Learn more from the district here: https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj....

Massimino will be present at the groundbreaking Wednesday, as will McCormac, members of the town council and Board of Education and local Avenel residents and parents who send their kids to school there.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Park in the St. Andrews church parking lot.

On this topic:

Due To Inflation Costs, Woodbridge Not Building New Avenel Elementary (Sept. 2022)

Avenel Elementary/School 4/5 Renovations Approved By Woodbridge Voters (March 2023)