Lexington broke ground Tuesday, Sept. 15, on a new $659.7 million high school to replace the overcrowded 1953 building on Worthen Road.
School Building Committee Chair Kathleen Lenihan, also a School Committee member, opened the ceremony by quoting an old adage: "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, representatives from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the town's state legislative delegation, and members of the Select Board and School Committee all took part in the ceremonial dig, The Lexington Observer reported.
The project is the largest capital undertaking in Lexington's history. The new four-story, 460,000-square-foot building will rise on the current sports fields along Worthen Road. Once complete, the old high school will be demolished and new athletic fields built in its place, according to the town's project website.
The school is designed for 2,395 students. The current building was built for 1,800 and housed about 2,405 during the 2025-2026 school year, with only about 40% of the school air-conditioned.
How it got here
The path to the groundbreaking stretched over years. The MSBA unanimously approved a $118.8 million grant for the project in October 2025. Town Meeting then appropriated $647,921,834 in November 2025 with about 91% support. Residents sealed the deal on Dec. 8, 2025, passing a debt exclusion vote with 5,283 yes votes, about 62% of ballots cast.
The town has partnered with the MSBA since 2022. A Capital Stabilization Fund, projected to peak at about $58 million, will be drawn down between fiscal years 2028 and 2035 to smooth the property-tax increase for homeowners, according to town financial documents.
A delay and added costs
The project hit a snag in August. A group of 12 residents led by Jim Williams appealed to the state Department of Environmental Protection, arguing the project's wetland impacts needed reconsideration. That appeal halted some summer site work. Lenihan told The Lexington Observer in August that the stoppage alone would cost at least $1 million.
No source has confirmed whether MassDEP has formally resolved that appeal. The Sept. 15 groundbreaking proceeded as scheduled.
What comes next
Turner Construction is the construction manager, with SMMA as architect and Dore + Whittier as the owner's project manager. The design, nicknamed "Bloom," calls for an all-electric building with a 4,806-kilowatt solar panel system, a 2-megawatt/8-megawatt-hour battery storage system, 20 electric vehicle chargers and hybrid heat pumps.
The full construction timeline spans four and a half years, covering the new building, demolition and field reconstruction. The school is slated to open for the 2029-2030 school year.
