Editor’s note: this story was updated to reflect that the Olentangy School Board’s June 11 meeting was rescheduled.
DELAWARE — The future site for Olentangy Local School District’s fifth high school was officially brought into the city of Delaware from Delaware Township on Monday.
Delaware City Council previously approved a pre-annexation agreement in January, as did the Delaware County Commissioners in late March. Council’s final approval of the roughly 141-acre site on Monday makes it official.
Director of planning and community development, Sandra Pereira, said the city is getting close to finishing the building reviews, and with council passing the ordinance with an emergency clause, official groundbreaking and construction can begin.
Olentangy district officials held a celebratory groundbreaking for the district’s fifth high school last week, but the school still awaits its name.
Pereira confirmed that nothing inside the pre-annexation agreement changed before council’s passage of the official agreement.
The 300,000-square-foot project, north of Bunty Station Road, will be a part of the city’s utilities, fire and police services, per the agreement.
Before the annexation, the school district conducted a traffic study and assumed financial responsibility for improvements to the area, including Bunty Station Road.
Olentangy is funding the construction of the fifth high school (and 18th elementary school, Deer Haven) via a bond passed in Nov. 2025 projected to raise $235 million, according to the district’s website.
Just like Deer Haven, the district’s school board will name the new high school at a meeting once a community survey is complete.
Construction on the two new buildings will begin in 2026, with completion of Deer Haven targeted for 2027 and the high school in 2028.
“Olentangy’s student enrollment is projected to approach 2,000 new students by the 2028-29 school year, with an addition of over 300 staff members needed to serve those students,” the website states.
