The School District of Clayton is quietly floating a very big idea: turning the soon-to-be-vacant Fontbonne University campus into a new elementary school. District leaders say the talks are exploratory only, with no binding decisions on the table. If it happens, the plan would flip a college campus next to Washington University into a neighborhood school and could reshuffle where some Clayton students end up each morning.
District tests the waters on a campus swap
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, district officials publicly unveiled the concept this week and are now studying whether parts of the 16-acre site could realistically be converted into elementary classrooms, playgrounds and support-service space. The Post-Dispatch reports that administrators are still gathering details on logistics, enrollment shifts and overall costs, and that any formal proposal would be pushed through additional layers of review before the board is asked to sign off.
How Fontbonne ended up on the market
Fontbonne announced in March 2024 that it would stop admitting new freshmen and wind down operations after the summer 2025 term, according to a statement on Fontbonne University's website. As part of that process, Washington University agreed to purchase the 16-acre campus, per the AP, though WashU has not committed to any long-term use for the property.
What WashU says about the deal
Washington University has told reporters it does not yet have a plan for the site and that the acquisition primarily helped Fontbonne carry out an orderly shutdown. University leaders have framed the purchase as a way to give Fontbonne a dignified closure while WashU takes time to weigh long-term options, according to Spectrum News St. Louis.
What it could mean for Clayton families
District officials told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the school board will keep collecting data and holding community conversations before anything moves forward. They stressed that a concrete plan would still need full feasibility work, financial decisions and public vetting. For now, using Fontbonne remains one early option on a longer list while Washington University and Fontbonne work through their transition.
There is no set timeline for a decision, and district leaders say any real movement is likely months away at minimum. Clayton has promised families regular updates as studies continue and if a formal proposal for the Fontbonne site takes shape.
