Earlier this month, administrators for the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools outlined plans for renovations needed in the next few years at various school buildings, but discussion of one particular structure is key – what will happen to Fishers Elementary School?

There is a lot happening on the elementary school scene.  Students at Durbin Elementary will move over to the new Deer Creek Elementary, under construction in Wayne Township at 156th Street and Bolden Road and due to open in August of 2022.  Southeastern Elementary is already bursting at the seams and will have some of those students head to Deer Creek.

Elementary boundary lines in that area of the school district will need to be adjusted for this to work.  A meeting has been set about those plans for Tuesday, October 26, 6pm, at the HSE High School main cafeteria.

As the local school district looks ahead, Fishers Elementary is on the minds of school officials.  The school structure sets on 8 acres of land, at a time when other HSE District elementary campuses have 20 acres.  Fishers is the oldest school building in the HSE inventory.  Located on Lantern Road, just south of downtown Fishers.  There is plenty of commercial and residential development all around that area.

A few years ago, there were talks between the school corporation and city officials to close Fishers Elementary and construct a new building at Ritchey Woods, land owned by the city.  Nothing after came of that proposal.

In that school board work session earlier in October, it became clear that the board may be coming to a decision – either sink renovation money for Fishers Elementary School or find a way to construct an elementary school somewhere in that general area.

Demographic changes are also part of this.  The last demographic study completed for HSE Schools showed a leveling-off of the school population over the next few years, but it will be uneven, with some areas of the district seeing fewer students and other seeing an increase.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on future student count projections.

But all of that adds up to this – a decision is looming on what to do about Fishers Elementary School.  Whatever decision is made will have an impact on the HSE Schools, particularly on the west end of the school district.