On Thursday Sept. 1, 2016, The New School, Stamford Public Schools’ newest elementary school, opened on Strawberry Hill Avenue. Due to its partnership with Rogers, the official name of The New School is still being decided. Principal Frank Rodriguez said that many parents would like “Strawberry Hill” to be a part of the name, but other than that, no information about the name has been decided. The school is comprised of only kindergarten and first grade this year, and an additional grade will be added each year until the school serves through eighth grade.

The New School was granted funds as an extension of Rogers to relieve overcrowding in the district. The State of Connecticut invested $62 million in The New School, which is now only open to 240 students. The school’s population will grow as it is expanded to include an additional grade each year.

There is no plan in place, as of now, for where these students will go once they graduate eighth grade. While most would agree that alleviating overcrowding in the elementary schools is an important goal, the district will eventually need to come up with a plan to ensure that these students can be accommodated once they reach high school. With the increase in building of apartments that has been taking place in Stamford, there is growing concern that our schools will not be able to accommodate the population growth.

State Representative Caroline Simmons commented that all elementary schools in Stamford are at capacity or overcrowded. The New School helps to address the fact that space was needed for increasing enrollment numbers. Stamford’s student enrollment has increased from approximately 11,000 to more than 16,000 in the last 14 years.

According to Simmons, the response to the opening of The New School has been very positive. The only parents unhappy with the school are the ones who were unable to gain admittance for their children. Stamford parents who are still hoping to get their children into the school are put on a wait list.

Principal Rodriguez said that feedback from parents and teachers has been “overwhelmingly positive”. When asked if there is anything he wants the community to know about The New School, Rodriguez said that he wants the community to know that “we are still looking for out of town students. The school has to take in 25 percent of students from outside of Stamford. There are still a few seats open for out of town students.”

Jennifer Forman, a PTO board member and parent of a first grader at The New School, said that she likes “the enthusiasm that the faculty and parents have about the school.” She is looking forward to seeing the school’s growth over the next several years.

Hopefully the district will see the school through to successful growth. According to Principal Rodriguez, “we are building something really great here.” This can be the start of something great for our district.