New Bedford's long-discussed plan to replace two of its oldest elementary schools took a step forward on Oct. 28, with state officials moving the combined Ashley-Swift school project into the schematic design phase. The announcement came Oct. 28, putting the proposal among a small group of projects statewide cleared to advance.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority announced that the project plans had moved into what it calls the schematic design phase, according to SouthCoastToday.com. It was one of only six schools in Massachusetts approved to move onto this stage, the outlet reported. The milestone follows an earlier vote, when the MSBA board moved Charles S. Ashley Elementary School into schematic design, according to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
The proposal calls for combining students currently enrolled at Ashley and Swift elementary schools into a single new building, which would likely rise at the existing Ashley site, according to The New Bedford Light. A preliminary cost assessment put the project at $100 million, though the district has said the actual project cost will not be known until April 2027, per the same report. The plans were accepted into the state building authority's pipeline, the Light noted.
A Years-Long Push for New Buildings
This isn't New Bedford's first attempt to get a combined Swift-Ashley school funded. The state previously passed over the city's earlier bid, selecting just 10 proposals out of more than 54 submissions at a December meeting, the New Bedford Light reported. That history underscores why this latest advancement, confirmed through the MSBA's own review process, carries weight for a district that has pushed for new buildings for years.
Ashley School Building Committee minutes from April 30, 2025 show the MSBA voted unanimously to find the project eligible for what's called Module 2 — the phase dedicated to choosing a design team and hiring an Owner's Project Manager. At that same meeting, the committee weighed an option that would combine Charles S. Ashley and Jireh Swift elementary schools to serve 515 students, according to the minutes.
Why the Buildings Need Replacing
The case for consolidation rests heavily on the condition of the existing buildings. Both Ashley and Swift are more than 100 years old, according to the committee minutes. Those two schools are hardly outliers in New Bedford: a separate report found that 15 school buildings in the city were built in 1977 or earlier, with more than 8,000 students currently enrolled in them, per the New Bedford Light.
Getting to this point has never been guaranteed. A 2020 report noted that submitting a statement of interest to the MSBA is a critical first step, but one that comes with no guarantee of funding assistance, according to WBSM. The same report cautioned that an MSBA-accepted new-construction project can take several years from start to finish.
What Comes Next
A district strategic plan has projected that the new school could open in January 2029, according to the New Bedford Light. That timeline, like the project's preliminary price tag, remains a projection rather than a locked-in schedule. New Bedford has been here before with other school projects: the John Hannigan building was completed in 2018 as a Core Program new-construction project, according to state building authority records.
For now, the schematic design phase represents forward motion rather than a finish line for the Ashley-Swift project. Families and staff at both aging schools will be watching for the next updates as the design process unfolds and the city awaits firmer numbers on cost and funding next year.
