SerpApi.Org
A major expansion for a College Township elementary school is nearly complete.
Construction on a $20.95 million project that will add a third wing to the Mount Nittany Elementary School is entering its final weeks as the 2026-27 school year fast approaches. Officials at the State College Area School District Board of Directors meeting on Monday said contractors are putting the finishing touches on the expansion, which is estimated be at least 95% complete.
Work to install roofing, siding, soffits and flooring is nearly complete, while landscaping efforts will continue in July and August, according to Mike Fisher, the district’s director of physical plant. Final steps will see crews finish paving around the school, test equipment, clean the building’s interior and install furniture, which has arrived but is sitting inside the gymnasium pending final electrical inspections.
“We are delayed. The total, from the start of the project until now, I think is 33 days,” Fisher said. “But we fully plan on being in and not having any impacts on the kids inside the school.”
The district expects Mount Nittany Elementary’s expansion to open without issue in time for the start of the upcoming school year. Fisher said occupancy permits are expected early next month ahead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony tentatively planned before the first day of school on Aug. 26, though an exact date is not finalized.
The new wing will add six traditional classrooms to the elementary school, in addition to an instrumental music classroom and a cafeteria that will allow it to separate gym classes and lunch services. Construction on the addition includes a new bus drop-off loop and a parking lot near the existing parking area shared with Mount Nittany Middle School.
The project encompasses nearly 37,000 square feet of new construction and will renovate another 2,939 square feet of the existing school, which opened in 2011. A 157-kilowatt solar array on the south-facing roofs of the existing school, the second-largest in the district, will provide roughly 1% of the district’s electricity.
Additionally, plans for the school included the installation of two new soccer fields and a softball field on the eastern side of the property. The northern soccer field is growing in well, while the southern field is expected to be sodded in the coming weeks, Fisher said.
Plans to renovate and expand Mount Nittany Elementary began in August 2023, when an attendance analysis concluded the school had reached its capacity. The project received unanimous approval from State College’s school board before construction began in early 2025.
More construction updates
A separate project approved in May paved the way for the installation of additional playground equipment at Mount Nittany Elementary that includes “an inclusive set of play structures.” The purchase, totaling $95,430, covers several new pieces, including interactive elements resembling musical instruments and a spinner.
The upgrades at Mount Nittany Elementary arrive as part of a district-wide effort to improve playgrounds, as noted in recommendations in the district’s latest 10-year capital plan for the maintenance of its facilities. Earlier this year, the board approved larger renovations to Ferguson Township Elementary School’s playground.
A preliminary schedule shared in January suggested the district will likely renovate one school’s playground each year through 2033, continuing with Easterly Parkway Elementary School in 2027 and Grays Woods Elementary School in 2028. Broadly, the district is expected to prioritize “nature play” concepts, the installation of adaptive play equipment for special education students, bright colors and shade and poured-in-place rubber surfaces, among other goals.
Patton Township officials recently approved final land development plans for the new Park Forest Middle School, clearing the way for the long-planned project to begin construction soon. The three-story, 278,000-square-foot school could break ground later this year after navigating several hurdles in recent weeks, including pedestrian and traffic concerns.
Several tasks lie ahead for district officials in planning the new middle school’s construction, including easements to finalize, developer’s agreements to secure and building permits to obtain. The project is likely to be delayed from earlier timelines.
“We were talking about moving in during the winter of 2028-29 [school year]. There’s no way that’s going to happen at this point,” Fisher said on Monday. “It would be the start of the school year in 2029.”
The total cost of the project - including construction, planned alternate bids, road improvements and soft costs - arrived significantly under budget, settling at roughly $137.5 million. The new Park Forest Middle School will nearly double the footprint of the existing school built in 1971, which officials say the district has been outgrown and neglected after not receiving significant renovations since 1995.
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