Grand Rapids — Behind Aberdeen Academy, just a hop, skip and a jump to the south of the playground where students spend their recess time, construction crews are hard at work building a brand-new, state-of-the-art elementary school, set to open in August 2027.
The future Aberdeen Elementary School will house pre-K-5 students from both the current Aberdeen building and Palmer Elementary, which is closing at the end of the school year.
During a recent walk-through of the site, Dale Cammenga, GRPS director of design and construction, and Alex Smart, executive director of facilities and operations, gave SNN an update about the construction process.
‘We’re trying to create a more welcoming space.’
— Alex Smart, executive director of facilities and operations
Work on the two-story, 71,000-square-foot building started in November 2025, and one year later, the project is on track to wrap up on time and within budget, they said.
“This building is replacing the existing building here on the campus, and we’re also consolidating Palmer Elementary students into this building,” Cammenga said. “It’s set up to house 450 scholars, and we are pretty much at that number right now between the two schools, projected.”
At the moment, the building is enclosed, and crews are working on exterior finishes.
“Once they get the brick installed they’re going to start installing the windows and the aluminum storefronts,” Cammenga added.
One of the key features of the new building is air conditioning, which the current school, built in 1929, couldn’t accommodate. There will also be two playgrounds — one for preschool students and another for the elementary-level students, Smart added.
Smart noted the new building will have plenty of room for more spacious classrooms and art and music areas, and a gymnasium that will be a significant upgrade, with considerably more space than the current Aberdeen gym. The new school will also feature a modern media center in a wide-open space at the heart of the building, as well as a courtyard and a brand-new cafeteria and food service area.
“We’re trying to create a more welcoming space,” Smart said.
From above, the building is designed to resemble a red hawk, which is the mascot of both Aberdeen and Palmer elementaries. And pieces of the current Aberdeen building will be preserved in the new school — specifically, four stone eagles that once graced the corners of the current school’s roof. One of the eagles will be featured in the new school’s sign, and the others will be incorporated in the design in other ways.
Once construction is complete, the current Aberdeen building will be torn down, and the space will be used to build a parking lot and bus loop for the new school.
The $38 million project is being funded by the district’s $305 million bond, approved by voters in 2023. It’s part of the “Reimagine GRPS With Us!” facilities master plan, which serves as a roadmap for consolidation and realignment.
The district sought community input on the new site in February 2024, and the school board approved the building in March of that year. In spring 2025, the district shared initial design plans for the building, and outlined a tentative timeline for construction, with a groundbreaking taking place that October.
When the new Aberdeen opens, it will be the first new school built in northeast Grand Rapids in 60 years, according to the district.
Other Elementary Projects
The new Aberdeen is one of several current elementary school projects being funded by Reimagine dollars. The district is also in the middle of a complete interior rebuild of Ken-O-Sha Park Elementary, which will house a new environmental science academy starting in fall 2027.
When the $21 million project is completed, the Ken-O-Sha campus will take on students from Sherwood Park Global Studies Academy, which is set to close at the end of the year.
Alger Middle School is also undergoing a $6.5 million renovation project, and will be converted into a new elementary school, now that middle-schoolers have moved to the Ottawa Hills campus. The future Alger Elementary School will welcome students and staff from Brookside Elementary starting at the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.
Both the Ken-O-Sha and the Alger projects are moving along on schedule and within budget, Smart and Cammenga said.
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