VILLANOVA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The end of Labor Day marks the first day of school for many students in the Philadelphia area, including about 1,000 at a brand-new middle school in Villanova.
Several districts — including Marple Newtown in Delaware County, Pennsbury in Bucks County, Avon Grove in Chester County, and Colonial, Upper Dublin and Lower Merion in Montgomery County — are starting classes Tuesday. The School District of Philadelphia started last week.
The Lower Merion School District, in particular, is getting a fresh start with the opening of Black Rock Middle School, welcoming incoming students from Penn Wynne and Gladwyne elementary schools.
Lower Merion officials said the new building — the third middle school in the system — was badly needed because many schools in the district have come close to or reached capacity.
The district shifted fifth grade from elementary to middle school in an effort to alleviate some of the crowding.
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Black Rock Middle was built on the site of the mansion that belonged to Morris Clothier, longtime chairman of Strawbridge and Clothier.
The Lower Merion School District is the fastest growing in Pennsylvania and is expected to continue in the coming years, officials said.