There may be a new middle school coming soon

Liberty School District wants to build a new charter middle school.

It would sit about a mile and a half up the road from the District’s single current school (Liberty School, which serves pre-kindergarten through sixth), at 112 Jewett Road, which was the site of an old poultry farm (hence the giant chicken). Today, Liberty's elementary students go on to attend middle and high school in Petaluma City Schools, and under this proposal, they could stay in the district through 8th grade at the new campus.

Plans for the 30-acre campus include ten classrooms, a 2,500-square-foot library, a 5,600-square-foot multipurpose room, and a 14,000-square-foot gymnasium (and the gym would be open to local groups on weekends, according to the plan).

Outside, a new baseball field, a grass soccer field, two basketball courts, four pickleball courts, two tennis courts, a stepped amphitheater, and a lawn under shade sails.

The classroom buildings, administrative building, library, and the multipurpose room would be positioned around a central campus plaza. Buildings would be one story. The proposed gymnasium would be the tallest building, with a maximum height of 35 feet and would be located west of the library.

The middle 15.82 acres would become an agriculture program: an enrichment classroom with a kitchen, a 4,000-square-foot livestock barn, two storage buildings, a school garden, and a native plant demonstration garden. There’s an existing 5,000-square-foot barn on the property that would stay: "The existing cattle grazing area and area east of the hoop barns (including the pond area) would remain in their current condition."

Capacity would be 240 students: 200 in the middle school and up to 40 in the ag program, with 21 staff. And "students attending Liberty Elementary School would receive priority enrollment at Liberty Middle School for 7th and 8th grade; students from outside the district may also be admitted, subject to available capacity," according to the notice.

One more detail related to enrollment: "The proposed project would not change district enrollment boundaries." The charter middle school graduates would still go on to high school in Petaluma City Schools, and the ag facilities "would also be available for high school students at Petaluma High School."

The district's notice was shared yesterday, August 20, and you can see it in full here if you’re interested. As of today, it has opened a 31-day comment period, and there’s a public meeting on Thursday 9/10 that will primarily focus on gathering feedback related to the environmental review,  with additional meetings to come on the school's academic program, according to Superintendent Chris Rafanelli in an announcement to Liberty Elementary families sent out yesterday.

If it all goes according to plan, construction is anticipated to start soon – in Winter 2027, ending Summer 2028 – so the younger cohorts of the elementary school could expect it as a real option. For families in the Liberty School District, or any family in Petaluma interested in expanded options for agriculture education at an early age, this looks to be an exciting new investment. It would also present another interesting storyline in Petaluma's public school enrollment trends (which will be the topic of my next post in a data storytelling series on our public schools.

We’ll keep sharing updates as they come.

Liberty School District wants to build a new charter middle school. It would sit about a mile and a half up the road from the District’s single current school (Liberty School, which serves pre-kindergarten through sixth), at 112 Jewett Road, which was the site of an old poultry farm (hence the giant chicken). Today, Liberty's elementary students go on to attend middle and high school in Petaluma City Schools, and under this proposal, they could stay in the district through 8th grade at the new campus. Plans for the 30-acre campus include ten classrooms, a 2,500-square-foot library, a 5,600-square-foot multipurpose room, and a 14,000-square-foot gymnasium (and the gym would be open to local groups on weekends, according to the plan). Outside, a new baseball field, a grass soccer field, two basketball courts, four pickleball courts, two tennis courts, a stepped amphitheater, and a lawn under shade sails. The classroom buildings, administrative building, library, and the multipurpose room would be positioned around a central campus plaza. Buildings would be one story. The proposed gymnasium would be the tallest building, with a maximum height of 35 feet and would be located west of the library. The middle 15.82 acres would become an agriculture program: an enrichment classroom with a kitchen, a 4,000-square-foot livestock barn, two storage buildings, a school garden, and a native plant demonstration garden. There’s an existing 5,000-square-foot barn on the property that would stay: "The existing cattle grazing area and area east of the hoop barns (including the pond area) would remain in their current condition." Capacity would be 240 students: 200 in the middle school and up to 40 in the ag program, with 21 staff. And "students attending Liberty Elementary School would receive priority enrollment at Liberty Middle School for 7th and 8th grade; students from outside the district may also be admitted, subject to available capacity," according to the notice. One more detail related to enrollment: "The proposed project would not change district enrollment boundaries." The charter middle school graduates would still go on to high school in Petaluma City Schools, and the ag facilities "would also be available for high school students at Petaluma High School." The district's notice was shared yesterday, August 20, and you can see it in full here if you’re interested. As of today, it has opened a 31-day comment period, and there’s a public meeting on Thursday 9/10 that will primarily focus on gathering feedback related to the environmental review, with additional meetings to come on the school's academic program, according to Superintendent Chris Rafanelli in an announcement to Liberty Elementary families sent out yesterday. If it all goes according to plan, construction is anticipated to start soon – in Winter 2027, ending Summer 2028 – so the younger cohorts of the elementary school could expect it as a real option. For families in the Liberty School District, or any family in Petaluma interested in expanded options for agriculture education at an early age, this looks to be an exciting new investment. It would also present another interesting storyline in Petaluma's public school enrollment trends (which will be the topic of my next post in a data storytelling series on our public schools. We’ll keep sharing updates as they come.