Watertown Middle School Building Project

City Council Votes to Move Forward with Middle School Project

October 7, 2026

On October 6, 2026, the Watertown City Council voted to approve moving forward with plans to build a new Watertown Middle School.

This is a landmark decision by the Council and a monumental next step in the City's "Building for the Future" initiative, as the middle school is the fifth and final public school set to be rebuilt or completely renovated in less than a decade in Watertown. All of these projects have been accomplished within the confines of Proposition 2 1/2, thanks to years of thoughtful leadership and careful financial management in the City. 

The Watertown Middle School project was prioritized by the City Council as a capital item in the fall of 2024. After completing a feasibility study with the School Building Committee and discussions among the Council and community, the project has yielded a design that will construct yet another state-of-the-art, 21st century learning environment in Watertown. The $110m project will be a net-zero, LEED-gold building, featuring bright, open spaces, clustered learning areas, dedicated learning and community wings, and innovative learning studios and labs that generations of students will enjoy. 

Prior to the vote, the Council received a presentation from City Manager George Proakis about the budget impacts of taking on the project. The City Manager shared that while moving forward with this project limits the City's financial flexibility, "we are at a moment where opportunity and reality align to make this project work." See the presentation given by the City Manager and watch the meeting back on WCA-TV. Also read the letter released by the Watertown School Superintendent, Dede Galdston, Ed.D. about the Council’s vote. 

The School Building Committee will now move forward with the project, working with the architect to bring the project to bid in early 2027 and aiming to start construction prior to the 2027-28 school year, pending appropriation by the City Council. 

Watertown Middle School photo

To reach the liaison for the School Building Committee with general questions about to the Middle School project, please email sbc@watertown-ma.gov.

Visit the Building for the Future website.

Invitation to participate in the Educational Visioning Workshops for the Watertown Middle School WMS) Construction Project

You are invited to be part of creating the educational vision for the Watertown Middle School construction project!

During the months of March and April 2025, the Watertown Middle School (WMS) Educational Visioning Group (EVG) – a group of (40-60) Watertown Public Schools and WMS school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community partners will participate in three Educational Visioning Workshops run by Ai3 Architects and New Vista Design. Each workshop will be a collaborative session designed to inform the design of the renovated and/or new WMS facility. Participants will be led through a step-by-step visioning process aimed at capturing their best thinking about WMS’s current and future educational goals and priorities and connecting them to best practices and possibilities in innovative facility design.

Workshops One and Two will take place virtually on Zoom, and Workshop Three will take place in person at WMS. Workshops are designed to be highly participatory, engaging, and informative. Because they build upon one and other, it is necessary to be able to participate in all three. The educational and architectural goals set during these workshops will have a direct and tangible impact on the design approach and features of the renovated and/or new school facility, so please come and add your voice and ideas to the conversation. Meetings will start and end on time. EVG Workshop dates and agendas can be found below.

Educational Visioning Group (EVG) Workshop Dates and Agendas

Workshop One will take place virtually on March 18, 2025, from 4:30-7:00 PM and will explore the following topics:

  • Priority Goals for WMS educational programming and the renovated and/or new facility
  • Future-Ready Teaching and Learning Practices that WMS envisions for the present moment and future
  • Portrait of a WMS Graduate that distills the group’s best thinking about WMS’s current and future learning goals

Workshop Two will take place virtually on March 27, 2025, from 6:00-8:30 PM and will explore the following topics:

  • Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, and Goals (SCOG Analysis) associated with WMS’s current and future academic and extracurricular programming
  • Architectural Design Patterns that innovative middle schools throughout the U.S. have put into practice
  • Design Pattern Priorities for the renovated and or/new WMS facility

Workshop Three will take place in-person on April 10, 2025, from 3:00-6:00 PM and will explore the following topics:

  • Guiding Principles for the design of the renovated and/or new facility
  • Blue Sky Ideas that participants would like to see in new school program and facility
  • Bubble Diagramming of conceptual design ideas for the renovated and/or new facility

If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the team to create the vision for the WMS construction project, please fill out the Google Form or contact Dede Galdston, Superintendent of Schools at deanne.galdston@watertown.k12.ma.us

Watertown Middle School Official Scoring Totals from Procurement - January 13, 2025 (PDF)