By unanimous vote on Oct. 9, 2023, the Kent County Board of Education, acting on the recommendation of the superintendent and the results of an extensive feasibility study that reviewed multiple options, approved building a new Kent County Middle School on the current Chestertown campus.

The new middle school will add fifth grade, opening space in our three elementary schools for additional programs and the expected increase in population in designated growth areas of Kent County.

You can also view the design slides in the gallery below.

In March 2026, the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) increased the state's share of eligible construction costs from 50% to 75%, plus and additional 5%. The county share of the eligible construction costs is 20%. The numbers below are the construction cost estimates as of May 12, 2026.

Total eligible construction costs for state funding: $48,188,000

 

Other costs (combination of construction and soft costs*) to be paid in full by county: $21,567,000

*Soft costs for the project are 100% county funded. These include architecture, engineering, project management, furniture, fixtures, equipment and contingencies.

 

Opened in 1950, Kent County Middle School now has $23.9 million in building system upgrades and replacements needed.

 

The building issues include:

 

A committee comprising Kent County Public Schools administrators, educators, state officials, school construction experts and parents held meetings starting in 2021 to explore possible plans for renovating or replacing Kent County Middle School.

 

The Kent County Middle School Education Specifications (or Ed Specs) Committee narrowed down more than a dozen scenarios to three options under consideration by the Kent County Board of Education.

 

Following additional community input sessions, a feasibility study was completed in 2023 on five different options. The Kent County Board of Education's review process reduced that first to four options, then down to two before the final approval that October of building on the current campus.

In 2018, the Kent County Board of Education accepted and published a Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan.

 

This was prepared by the Strategic Planning Committee. Members included then-Superintendent Dr. Karen Couch, additional KCPS administrators and educators, education and school construction experts, county officials and community members.

 

"The Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan initiates a process that will bring the public school facilities of Kent County into the educational and performance standards of the 21st century," the plan states. "For a teacher to be effective in the classroom, a wide range of supports must be in place: a visionary and ambitious school administration, teaching materials, information technologies, training, and equally as important, instructional spaces that facilitate and enhance every form of learning."

 

Long-term planning projects included the formation of an Ed Specs Committee to consider the renovation or relocation of Kent County Middle School, as the aging building has physical plant issues. The committee also was tasked with reviewing the adequacy of the building's instruction spaces.

 

"The major decision will likely be whether to retain and renovate the existing facility, or to relocate the middle school to another site," the Facilities Strategic Plan states about Kent County Middle School's future.

 

A copy of the Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan is available for download below.