Pittsburgh Public Schools to Close Nine Buildings on North Side Next Year
Parents at a regional meeting expressed concerns about staffing and culture as the district prepares to realign local schools.
By Priya Marino ·
Pittsburgh Public Schools will close nine buildings and realign multiple schools in the North Side neighborhood starting next academic year.
The district announced these changes as part of its Future-Ready Facilities Plan, a strategy designed to address falling enrollment, aging infrastructure, and academic equity. Administrators held their third regional update meeting on Thursday at Allegheny Traditional Academy to share details and gather feedback from the community.
The plan involves substantial structural changes to local education. Allegheny 6-8, King K-8, and Manchester K-8 will close at the end of the current school year. Allegheny PreK-5 will move into the King building, becoming a neighborhood elementary school named Allegheny at King. Morrow in Brighton Heights will also convert to a K-5 neighborhood elementary school. Schiller Middle School will relocate to the former Allegheny building to serve all North Side students in grades six through eight. A new early childhood center will open in the Allegheny Annex. The district also plans to reopen the Northview Heights facility as an elementary and English Language Development center, which will trigger the closure of Spring Hill school.
Eighty-three parents attended the Thursday session, a larger crowd than the previous meetings held at Sci-Tech and Carmalt schools last week. Rachel Beatty, whose children will attend the new Schiller at Allegheny middle school, said parents need a support system to help kids through the transition. She noted that there are many unknowns regarding logistics and teacher staffing. Matt Ranallo, whose children will attend Morrow and Schiller at Allegheny, said he supports the consolidation of resources but emphasized that school culture flows from the top down. He argued that thriving schools start with strong principals.
Superintendent Wayne Walters addressed the lack of immediate answers regarding next year's staffing. He told TribLive that the district is balancing the current school year with the planning for the new one. Principal assignments will be announced in January. Walters said the district's equity office will work with students, parents, and staff in April to review and strengthen school culture expectations at each building. He added that the district aims to create a culture of support where high-performing students and those needing assistance can merge into spaces of growth.
Officials noted that the reopening of Northview could require a full rebuild. If that determination is made, the opening would be delayed to the 2030-31 school year. Community group One Northside has been holding its own meetings to strengthen public education. Walters pointed to increasing enrollment at Perry High School as evidence of positive energy in the area. He said the district hopes to replicate the community model seen on the North Side throughout the city.
