New Cuyahoga Falls campus set to open in 2026
By Tom Hardesty
With the new Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 campus slated to open for students in January 2026, the board of education is now shifting its focus to the elementary schools as part of the district’s broader facilities plan.
And while it’s an exciting time for the school district as a whole, it’s a worrisome convergence of events for the people of Silver Lake, who are left wondering if the village’s nearly century-old elementary school could be on the district’s chopping block. “Residents are concerned about the future of this beloved school,” Silver Lake Mayor Therese Dunphy said recently.
That’s because village officials and residents have been doing the math. Silver Lake Elementary, built in 1927, is the oldest suburban elementary school building in Summit County – and the second-oldest suburban school building in the county, behind the original section of Cuyahoga Falls High School, constructed in 1922.
Add to that the board of education crunching the numbers on the money the district could save by closing an unnamed elementary building, and the worry is: The math adds up to closing Silver Lake Elementary.
“The fate of the elementary building, which serves as our link to the district, remains undecided,” Dunphy said in her April newsletter to the community.
But the wheels are in motion. Village of Silver Lake Council Members Suzanne Garrett and Kevin Rozsa joined Dunphy and several Silver Lake Home and School League officers at the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education’s Feb. 26 meeting, where board members “talked about their decision-making process and hosting a series of fall meetings to discuss a potential [elementary school] closure,” Dunphy said.
The Cuyahoga Falls City School District owns the Silver Lake Elementary property, although Village of Silver Lake zoning ordinances apply to that property, which is currently zoned “institutional.” The property’s main permitted uses are “churches, childcare in a church as licensed by the state, a public neighborhood school operated by the Cuyahoga Falls Local School District, and governmental buildings and structures.”
As a precaution, Dunphy said she has asked the Village of Silver Lake Planning Commission to review a 2018 proposal for rezoning the property if the school were to close.
Considering that the district’s Lincoln Elementary School is only one year younger than Silver Lake Elementary, it may not be a slam dunk that Silver Lake’s school would be the one to close based solely on an aging building.
“As we learn more about the building’s future, residents will be invited and encouraged to participate in the discussions,” Dunphy said. “Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that the future of Silver Lake Elementary reflects the needs and values of our Village.”
With the new Cuyahoga Falls 6-12 campus slated to open for students in January 2026, the board of education is now shifting its focus to the elementary schools as part of the district’s broader facilities plan.
And while it’s an exciting time for the school district as a whole, it’s a worrisome convergence of events for the people of Silver Lake, who are left wondering if the village’s nearly century-old elementary school could be on the district’s chopping block. “Residents are concerned about the future of this beloved school,” Silver Lake Mayor Therese Dunphy said recently.
That’s because village officials and residents have been doing the math. Silver Lake Elementary, built in 1927, is the oldest suburban elementary school building in Summit County – and the second-oldest suburban school building in the county, behind the original section of Cuyahoga Falls High School, constructed in 1922.
Add to that the board of education crunching the numbers on the money the district could save by closing an unnamed elementary building, and the worry is: The math adds up to closing Silver Lake Elementary.
“The fate of the elementary building, which serves as our link to the district, remains undecided,” Dunphy said in her April newsletter to the community.
But the wheels are in motion. Village of Silver Lake Council Members Suzanne Garrett and Kevin Rozsa joined Dunphy and several Silver Lake Home and School League officers at the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education’s Feb. 26 meeting, where board members “talked about their decision-making process and hosting a series of fall meetings to discuss a potential [elementary school] closure,” Dunphy said.
The Cuyahoga Falls City School District owns the Silver Lake Elementary property, although Village of Silver Lake zoning ordinances apply to that property, which is currently zoned “institutional.” The property’s main permitted uses are “churches, childcare in a church as licensed by the state, a public neighborhood school operated by the Cuyahoga Falls Local School District, and governmental buildings and structures.”
As a precaution, Dunphy said she has asked the Village of Silver Lake Planning Commission to review a 2018 proposal for rezoning the property if the school were to close.
Considering that the district’s Lincoln Elementary School is only one year younger than Silver Lake Elementary, it may not be a slam dunk that Silver Lake’s school would be the one to close based solely on an aging building.
“As we learn more about the building’s future, residents will be invited and encouraged to participate in the discussions,” Dunphy said. “Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that the future of Silver Lake Elementary reflects the needs and values of our Village.”
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