After decades of “band-aid” fixes that merely patched up facilities, Providence Public School District (PPSD), the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), and the City of Providence are working together to ensure that ALL Providence students are learning in new or “like-new” buildings by 2030.  With modern educational, wellness and security features, we are on a path to ensure all students reach their full potential in a nurturing learning environment.

Built where families live, these facilities provide not only first-rate educational environments, but also continuity for students and the broader community as older, inefficient facilities are being improved and consolidated into single, modernized campuses under the “newer and fewer” strategy. 

The new Narducci Learning Center, for example, which is built on the site of the abandoned former Windmill Elementary building in Providence’s Charles neighborhood, has been transfigured into a state-of-the-art educational facility. Narducci is currently serving as a first-rate “swing space” for students while their home school buildings are under construction or renovation. The state-of-the-art facility, which opened in the fall of 2023, will eventually become a permanent home to a Pre-K-8 school when the swing space needs are fulfilled. 

DELIVERING RESULTS 

Since breaking ground on construction projects in 2019, the District has opened the doors of four new or “like-new” schools – William D’Abate Elementary School, Frank Spaziano Elementary School, Narducci Learning Center, and Pleasant View Elementary School. The new facilities feature a variety of enhancements including new media centers, arts and science labs, cutting-edge special education and STEAM facilities, collaborative and outdoor learning spaces. There were significant upgrades to Classical High School and Hope High School. Currently. The District is beginning to break ground on Mary Fogarty Elementary School and Harry Kizirian Elementary School.

These learning communities are environments where our city’s diverse student population can learn, create and thrive. For example, the planned Mary Fogarty Pre-K-8 School (scheduled completion fall of 2026), which will transform and expand the current site of Mary Fogarty Elementary, will offer an upgraded and modern facility with all these features as well as a shared learning commons and separate learning areas for each age group. 

The new and renovated facilities prioritize energy efficiency and the environment through green construction and use of renewable energy as well as critical infrastructure upgrades. New lighting, air-conditioning and insulation, renovated lobbies with enhanced security and streamlined student drop off, and upgraded ADA compliant accessibility features, among others, are standard features. With upgraded and brand-new assets including auditoriums, age-specific playgrounds, gyms, meeting rooms, SMART® clinics and food pantries, our school buildings will once again serve the public as vital community gathering spaces. 

ENDURING COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE 

Like so many aspects of the transformation of the Providence schools, the projects in this District demonstrate what can be achieved with a shared dedication to transformational change and the resources to make it happen. 

Also like so many aspects of the transformation, it requires investments, leadership, discipline and patience to see the full impact of generational change. But with the support of the community, we are committed to building first-rate, modern school facilities for Providence students that are sources of community strength and pride for generations to come.