Next possible phases for attendance changes unveiled for Columbia schools, some areas of town could change schools within district

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools held an open house Tuesday at Hickman High School to present the five options of Phases 2 and 3 for changing school boundaries.

The meeting also allowed the public to provide feedback on the plans. Phase 1 of the plans were approved on April 17, which addressed the expansions at Russell Boulevard Elementary.

Phase 2 focuses on filling in the new addition at Battle Elementary School after adding a new wing, allowing room for more students. Phase 3 looks at filling in the new Southwest Elementary School. 

An internal committee made up of administrators from buildings across the district reviewed multiple options before narrowing it down to the five that were presented at the open house. The committee will review the options based on public feedback. 

“This is one of those things where we want to be as open and transparent as possible. This is a major thing when we are talking about moving from one school to another,” Columbia Public Schools Vice President John Lyman told ABC 17 News. 

Students affected by the boundary changes are based on various factors including distance to an elementary school, current enrollment and a formula known as "the diversity index."

According to CPS’s website, the guiding principles for the attendance area changes are: 

• Attendance areas do change and will continue to change. This work is part of a regular review of district enrollment patterns.
• The attendance area should anticipate the future growth of neighborhoods. A walkable and bikeable school is important, but may not always be possible.
• The attendance area seeks to reflect the composition of the Columbia Public Schools community.
• The board recognizes the power of a school to create a community. Accessibility for families is important (volunteering and attending school functions are easier when the school is near).
• Consider the time students spend on a bus and the distance traveled to and from school.
• Consider attendance area's boundary lines that follow natural/man-made boundaries.
• Consider a transfer policy that allows fifth graders to remain at their previous school and policies that allow siblings to remain.

Phase 2 could move students from Alpha Heart Lewis, Derby Ridge, Sheppard Blvd, and Cedar Ridge Elementary Schools into the new Battle Elementary School. However, the biggest changes will come with the new Southwest Elementary School which is a 650-student building. 

“Once that comes online in the 2027 school year that’s when all of these lines, you know Mill Creek right up the road have to shift everything north,” Lyman explained. “We’ve taken schools from Mill Creek which means we gotta try and get some kids from Russell and maybe Fairview, maybe Paxton Keely which then moves everything so there’s big shifts when you drop in space for 650 students.

The Long-Range Planning Committee will review the options on June 5 before presenting it to the Board of Education. A first read of the plans will occur at the June 10 Columbia Board of Education meeting. A second read of the plans will occur July 8. Phase 2 will be implemented in the Fall 2025 semester, with Phase 3 beginning in the Fall of 2026.

Jennifer Keely has three children who are current and former students of CPS. Four years ago, her two daughters were split up due to a boundary change that left one of her daughters at Rock Bridge High School and another at Hickman High School. Three of the five proposed changes in Phases 2 and 3 could have her son moving from Hickman to Battle High School. 

“I know CPS has to make decisions, but my goodness, maybe don’t switch the neighborhoods that you just messed with,” Keely told ABC 17 News. 

Keely adds that some of her neighbors moved because of these boundary changes. 

“If we get switched and my son has to switch schools mid-career, we’ll be moving, too," she said. "We’ll be leaving our home of 18 years, and it makes me crazy that it’s because of a policy change because they are so focused on these numbers, that won’t even be valid when the boundary change happens.”  

Lyman is no stranger to moving schools and understands how difficult a move can be. He told ABC 17 News that he initially went to Grant Elementary as a child; but then his family moved, which forced him to go to Russell Boulevard Elementary 

“When I was in fifth grade, a new elementary school opened up and a bunch of friends I knew went to Mill Creek (Elementary),” Lyman said

Lyman added the district is looking closely at neighborhoods that had to move last time in an effort to not move them again. CPS has previously stated that students who will move elementary schools in Phase 1 would not be moved again, according to previous reporting.

CPS wants to have entire elementary schools feed into the same middle school. However, Keely argues this is hypocritical of them since they are acknowledging that relationships and stability are important for students, but they can’t commit to allowing children to stay at the school where they started. 

“It’s tough you know,” Lyman said. “Columbia has expanded rapidly. We’ve got a lot of schools in that central part of Columbia, but then we have a lot of schools on the periphery. Well, to fill those schools in the periphery, sometimes we got to nudge into some of those interior neighborhoods, which can pull you away from that school that’s down the road.

“We want to maintain that 'walkability.' but at that same time we don’t want to do it at the expense of having too many students at the same school which then negatively affects that educational experience.” 

The next open house will be held Wednesday at the Aslin Administrative Building from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. People can also send in feedback through a survey on the district's website through Sunday, May 12.

Where to look for changes to your school attendance

Columbia Public Schools provided a link to a map that breaks down changes to the district. The map can be found at this link. A quick explainer on some changes to the district can be found below. All of the information below is described from data provided by Columbia Public Schools. A number of options include areas of town switching high schools.

Areas near Chapel Hill Road and south of Stadium Boulevard could see some changes, depending on the options that are passed.

South of Chapel Hill Road

An area south of Chapel Hill Road and east of Grant Lane could see their children go to a variety of options. Currently, those students attend Russell Boulevard Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School. Option 1 would send students to John Warner Middle School and RBHS. Option 2 would see those students at Smithton Middle School and Hickman High School.

Option 3, Phase 2 would see those students attend Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School. Option 3, Phase 3 would have students attend Mill Creek Elementary School, Gentry Middle School and RBHS

Option 4 would see those students attend Russell Boulevard Elementary, West Middle School and Hickman High School. Option 5 would have students attend Russell Boulevard, Smithton Middle School and Hickman High School.

An area south of Chapel Hill Road and west of Grant Lane currently have students attending Russell Boulevard Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School.

Option 1 would send middle school students to John Warner and high school students to Rock Bridge. Option 2 would send those students to Smithton Middle School and Hickman High School.

Option 3 Phase 2 would send those students to Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School. In Phase 3 of that option, elementary students would attend Mill Creek Elementary School.

Options 4, Phase 2 would have students at Smithton MS and Hickman. Phase 3 would have elementary students at Fairview Elementary.

Option 5 would send them to Smithton Middle School and Hickman High School in Phase 2, with Phase 3 sending elementary students to Fairview Elementary.

Some Fairview Elementary students who live south of Chapel Hill Road could change middle and high schools. Those students currently go to Gentry Middle School and RBHS. Options 1 and 3 would have students at Smithton Middle School and Hickman High School. Option 2 sends them to West Middle School and Hickman High School.

Option 4, Phase 2 would have middle and high school students go to West MS and Hickman, respectively. While Phase 3 would move students from Fairview Elementary to Russell Boulevard Elementary.

Option 5, Phase 2 has middle and high school students attend Smithon MS and Hickman. Phase 3 moves elementary students to Russell Boulevard Elementary.

South of Stadium Boulevard

Neighborhoods south of Stadium Boulevard and east of A.L. Gustin Golf Course (near Providence) who currently attend Gentry Elementary and Middle schools and Rock Bridge High School would remain at Gentry for elementary school in all options

Options 1, 3 and 5 has those students attending West Middle School and Hickman. Options 2 and 4 has middle and high school students at Jefferson Middle School and Hickman.

Areas south of Hinkson Creek, which is just south of the previously listed school assignments, students currently attend Grant Elementary, Gentry Middle School and RBHS.

In Options 1, 2, 4 and 5, those students would not change schools. In Option 4, those students would attend West Middle School and Hickman High School.

In an area south of Stadium Boulevard, but is north and west of A.L. Gustin Golf Course, students currently go to Russell Boulevard Elementary, Gentry Middle School and RBHS. All five plans would send students to West Middle School and Hickman High School.

West of Highway 63

Another area of possible change includes neighborhoods just west of Highway 63.

An area south of Interstate 70, north of East Broadway currently sees students attend Shepard Boulevard Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School and Hickman High School. This is an area that only affects high school placement.  Options 1 and 4 would send those students to Battle High School; they would remain at Hickman under all other options.

Another area west of Highway 63, south of East Broadway and has Grindstone Creek as a southern boundary currently has students attending Shepard Boulevard Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School and Hickman High School. Only high school is affected again and those students would go to Battle for high school under Options 1, 4 and 5. Options 2 and 3 would keep those students at Hickman.

Directly south of that location, along Highway 63, currently has students attend New Haven Elementary School, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School. Option 1 would have those students attend New Haven Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Battle High School. Options 2-4 would not move those students.

Option 5 would have students attend Shepard Boulevard Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School.

Another area west of Highway 63, just south of the previous school boundaries could also be affected. Students in that area currently attend New Haven Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School.

Option 1 would send those students to New Haven ES, Gentry MS and Battle High School. 

Option 2 and 3 would send students to different schools, depending on the phase. Option 2-3, Phase 2 would send students to New Haven ES, Gentry MS and Rock Bridge. Option 2-3, Phase 3 would send students to Rock Bridge Elementary School, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School.

Option 4 would have students attend New Haven Elementary, Gentry MS and RBHS. Option 5, would have students attend Rock Bridge Elementary, Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School in both phases.

East of Highway 63

An area along the east side of Highway 63 could see some areas of Battle move over to Rock Bridge. An area just south of Stadium Boulevard and north of East Sugar Grove Road currently has students going to New Haven Elementary, Oakland Middle School and Battle High School. Nothing would change in Options 1, 2 and 5. Options 3 and 4 would have those students go to Gentry Middle School and Rock Bridge High School.

Similar changes could occur to a neighborhood just south of the previously described area, where students currently go to Cedar Ridge Elementary School, Oakland MS and Battle High School. Option 1 would send students to New Haven ES, Gentry MS and Battle High School. Option 2, there would be no change.

Option 3, Phase 2 would have students go to Cedar Ridge ES, Gentry MS and Rock Bridge High School and Option 3, Phase 3 would have those elementary students go to New Haven ES.

Option 4, Phase 2 would have students go to Cedar Ridge ES, Gentry MS and RBHS, while Option 4, Phase 3 would send elementary students to New Haven ES.

Option 5 would have students go to New Haven ES, Oakland MS and BHS.