Andover High Building Project

06/12/2026

Take a 2-minute tour of the new Arlington High School to see what modern learning spaces can look like: https://vimeo.com/1197870164

Generations of Arlington students will benefit from the full-sized classrooms, modern labs, collaboration spaces, natural light, functioning temperature control, ADA compliance, and safety features that should be expected in learning environment.

Arlington High was built for 1,700 students in multiple phases on an occupied site over 5 years and was fully completed in fall 2025.

The project cost $711 per square foot with GMP date of December 2020. The state MSBA program contributed $84.7 million (about 29%) to the $290 million total cost.

Welcome to Arlington High School! Located in Arlington Massachusetts, Arlington High School fosters academic excellence and personal achievement at the highest levels by focusing on learning, connecting, and caring as a community. Visit https://ahs.arlington.k12.ma.us to learn more.

05/07/2026

Last week, Andover Town Meeting approved $3.85 million for furniture upgrades and security cameras at Andover High School, at zero additional cost to taxpayers. The funding will come from savings on the West Elementary/Shawsheen project (which was completed under budget), existing free cash, and repurposed balances from prior capital appropriations.

This recommendation came at the conclusion of a 26-month study by the Select Board and Permanent Town Building Committee at a cost of $500,000. Their stated goal was to identify a solution to the challenges at AHS that would cost less than $50 million in order to avoid impacting the town’s AAA bond rating. Ultimately, their process reaffirmed what more than eight years of prior studies and multiple building committees had already concluded: there is no meaningful low-cost solution to addressing the needs of Andover High School.

Thank you to everyone who supported this $3.85 million expenditure. It is, quite literally, the very least that could be done.

At Town Meeting, the Town Manager also committed to providing a recommendation on or before November 1, 2026 regarding the major systems at AHS. These issues include noncompliance with modern safety, energy, and accessibility code; necessary electrical infrastructure upgrades, including transformer replacement; an HVAC system well beyond its useful life, including boilers that could fail at any time and problematic air handlers; and a roof warranty that expires in 2028.

At present, there is no commitment or plan to address the many additional facility deficiencies at AHS, including those that limit curricular opportunities for students. The chance to apply for state assistance for the facility closed in April 2026, with the next application window expected in 2027.

05/05/2026

The residents of Salem, Mass are voting today on whether to fund a brand new high school through a debt exclusion.

The proposed new Salem High is for:
- 1,000 students
- cost of $1,050 per square foot
- anticipated $447 million total

MSBA will provide Salem a grant of $208 million, or roughly a 46.5% reimbursement. Salem chose a new school over a $384 million code renovation or a $483 million addition/renovation option.

Compare this to the 2023 Andover High proposal:
- 1,900 students
- cost of $810 per square foot
- anticipated $450 million total

If Andover had MSBA partnership, reimbursement would be lower than for Salem. For example, WestEl/Shawsheen was reimbursed at about 27%.

Between the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) date of December 2025 for the proposed Andover High and GMP date of March 2028 for Salem High (27 months), the price per square foot of construction has increased 29.6%.

Salem Building Committee FAQs about the project are here:
https://sites.google.com/salemk12.org/shs-building-committee/about-and-faqs