Newport News (Va.) district approves plan to build replacement middle school

The Newport News (Va.) school district has approved a plan to build a new Huntington Middle School and have the existing campus converted to a community center.

The Daily Press  reports that Huntington Middle School was closed in 2018 because the structure was considered unsafe. The new building is expected to cost between $50 million and $60 million. 

The school board considered renovating the existing campus, but determined it was more cost effective to build new.

The city of Newport News will transform the former school into a community center. It will keep the existing Huntington façade and will have a display inside the entrance to honor the history of the facility, which housed the original Huntington High School.

Huntington opened in 1936 and for several years was the city’s only high school for Black students. The campus later became the only middle school zoned for students living in southeast Newport News.

Since the district closed Huntington Middle, students have been attending Heritage High School 

The planned new middle school building will accommodate about 600 students, is set to open in fall 2024.