Harrisonburg City Public Schools

Harrisonburg City Public Schools is a public school division in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. The division includes one high school (Harrisonburg High School), two middle schools (Thomas Harrison Middle School, Skyline Middle School), five elementary schools (W.H. Keister Elementary School, Smithland Elementary School, Spotswood Elementary School, Stone Spring Elementary School, and Waterman Elementary School) and a vocational school, Massanutten Technical Center.

More than 4,000 students are enrolled in HCPS, and of these more than 35% are English language learners (English as a Second Language, ESL), making the school system one of the most diverse in the state of Virginia. The top foreign languages spoken by students are Spanish, Russian, and Kurdish. More than 30 additional languages are spoken by students.

In recent years, controversy has surrounded the construction of a new high school as well as the use of the old building. Initial discussions indicated the old building was to become a 5th and 6th grade intermediate school. However, in March 2005, the school board voted to turn the old high school property over to the city. This allowed Harrisonburg City Council to enter into a five-year $7.5 million lease of the old high school property (building, athletic fields, and parking lots) to James Madison University in July 2005. The agreement included an option to purchase the property, which JMU capitalized on, in May 2006, with an offer to purchase the property at $17 million. In June 2006, the sale was approved by the city council, as a method of funding street improvements and a new school.

Construction of Skyline Middle School And Smithland Elementary was completed in 2008. The schools are distinctly separate student bodies, but are located within one physically consolidated building. The fifth grade is located on the middle school side in the central connecting hallway, to allow the fifth grade to return to the elementary student body - should the school system decide to change grade configuration.

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