Olentangy Local Schools is pursuing a district-wide redistricting initiative as it prepares for the opening of two new school buildings and tackles population growth.
Deer Haven Elementary School will open 12 months from now for the 2027-28 school year, and a new high school will open in 24 months for the 2028-29 school year, Deputy Superintendent Jack Fette said at an Aug. 27 Board of Education meeting
.
The superintendent's 15-member Attendance Boundary Committee will recommend boundaries for both new schools. It will also evaluate boundaries for the district's six middle schools, as well as generally redrawing district attendance boundaries.
A consultant will aid in the redistricting process to help with the complex issues involved, like live
birth rates, development, attendance patterns, transportation processes and more, Fette said. The committee will make recommendations to the superintendent, Todd Meyer, on what the boundaries should look like. Meyer has the final decision, which he will voice to the community in December.
The community is invited to evening forums at 6:30 p.m. where example maps will be shown to engage the public for feedback:
- Oct. 26: Liberty High School
- Oct. 28: Berlin High School
- Nov. 2: Olentangy High School
- Nov. 4: Orange High School
Digital survey feedback will also be collected, Fette said.
This fall, the name, mascot and colors of the new high school will be announced, Fette said. In the spring, a principal will be hired.
With the opening of the district's 18th elementary school and fifth high school, feeder patterns – the order of school progression from elementary to high school assigned to a home – may change, Fette said at the meeting,
“When we open our new schools, we're going to have five high schools receiving students from six middle schools," Fette said. "So, what we're going to potentially have there is what we know we call a split feeder, where one school feeds two schools, which is not uncommon – 40% of our schools currently are split feeders.”
In November 2025, Olentangy voters approved a $235 million bond levy, with 56% of voters in favor of the proposal according to unofficial results. The district used the bond to buy land and build the two new schools, improve some of its current facilities or build new ones.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: School redistricting underway for fast-growing Olentangy
