York School District 1 has started the long process of redrawing its middle school boundaries as construction continues on White Hill Middle School, a new campus set to open in 2027 and hold 1,000 students. The district will soon operate two middle schools instead of one, and families across the fast-growing area are already asking the same question: which school will their kids attend.
District officials are weighing student demographics and where families live as they draft new attendance boundaries, with a stated goal of avoiding split neighborhoods, according to WBTV. Janet Parker, the district's public information officer, said York School District 1 is moving toward a structure of kindergarten through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, ninth through twelfth grade, and a dedicated pre-K center. The shift means York Intermediate will assign all district fifth graders to its campus next school year, with the exception of Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary students, while the district also rolls out a one-year arrangement to prepare a standalone pre-K program.
Parents Voice Both Excitement and Uncertainty
At the district's first family meeting on the rezoning plan, parent Amy Pendleton said she was excited that York had built the new school, but she also acknowledged the anxiety many parents are feeling. Pendleton said parents are concerned about which school their children will end up attending once the new boundaries take effect. The district is encouraging families to submit comments, feedback, and survey responses as the process continues.
That first meeting followed a virtual information session held on September 28, the day before this rezoning update, which explained the district's shift to two dual 6-8 middle school campuses for the 2027-2028 school year, according to WRHI. The virtual session was the first of two scheduled public information sessions, offering an initial overview and outlining what families could expect in the months ahead before formal community feedback begins. A final board vote is expected in January 2027. The district's next in-person rezoning meeting is scheduled for November 17 at 6 p.m. in the York Comprehensive High School cafeteria, per WBTV.
A $90 Million Bond Behind the Build
The new middle school's construction traces back to a $90 million bond referendum that York School District 1 voters approved on November 5, 2024, a mandate that addressed long-term capacity pressures identified in district facility and demographic studies, as reported by The Herald. The district's board of trustees awarded the construction contract to general contractor Shelco with a winning low bid of $58.77 million, a deal that covers the base school build along with alternates for a 500-seat auditorium and outdoor athletic facilities, according to the same report.
District leaders and community members marked the project's progress with a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the Highway 161 construction site in March, months after land clearing and grading had already begun. The board officially adopted the name White Hill Middle School in February, honoring the neighboring historic White Hill Church and an early 20th-century African American community school recorded on a 1936 area map, per WBTV's earlier coverage. A 45-member naming committee reviewed community input before recommending the name, the Wolves mascot, and the school's colors.
Land Purchase and District-Wide Reshuffling
York School District 1 finalized the purchase of the 64-acre property along Highway 161, also known as Old York Road, in January 2025, securing the footprint for the new campus shortly after voters approved the bond. The new middle school is also part of a broader bond-funded overhaul: the district is renovating the Pinckney Street Learning Center and York One Academy into a dedicated Early Childhood Center for 4K preschool, Montessori, and special needs programs, a move intended to relieve classroom crowding in the lower grades.
Superintendent Dr. Heath Branham, who took office in July 2025 following a national search that yielded 31 applicants, received a contract extension through June 2029 from the board of trustees earlier this month, per WRHI. He now oversees the district-wide grade restructuring and boundary changes tied to the new campus's opening.
Growth Driving the District's Decisions
York County is experiencing continued growth, per WBTV, and that trend is backed by federal data: U.S. Census Bureau figures released in May 2025 ranked the City of York as the fifth fastest-growing municipality in South Carolina among cities with populations over 5,000 between July 2023 and July 2024, The Herald reported. Western York County has transitioned from largely rural land to growing residential subdivisions in recent years.
The district has tried to address that growth before. In October 2022, York School District 1 sought a school impact fee of nearly $12,500 on each new single-family home to help residential developments contribute toward school construction costs, with district projections at the time anticipating more than 2,300 new residential units by 2027, according to WSOC-TV. The York County Council did not pass that fee, leaving the district to turn directly to voters for the 2024 bond that ultimately funded White Hill Middle School.
The rezoning debate arrives as York County voters also prepare to fill open school board seats this fall, including three in York School District 1, amid continued regional growth pressures in the county, as Hoodline previously reported.
