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Big changes are happening at Centre County schools. 5 stories on recent projects

Stories by Centre Daily Times journalists, with AI summarization

From new buildings under construction to renovations and closed schools, plans across Centre County school districts are taking shape. That includes the future new Park Forest Middle School and Bellefonte Elementary School, along with the closure of Penns Valley's Miles Township Elementary.

The newest Centre County school to open is Keystone Central School District’s Liberty-Curtin Elementary School, but other new school building openings are expected in the coming years. School districts will need to decide what to do with old buildings, a process Penns Valley has started.

Construction of the new Bellefonte Area School District elementary school on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. By Abby Drey

NO. 1: BELLEFONTE PICKS FAMILIAR NAME FOR NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WHEN WILL IT OPEN?

The district received 125 name suggestions for the new school. | Published April 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matt DiSanto

This rendering shows a hallway inside the new Park Forest Middle School

NO. 2: DESIGNS OFFER LOOK INSIDE NEW PARK FOREST MIDDLE SCHOOL. WHEN COULD WORK START?

Current plans say the project could cost between roughly $127.9 million and $136.9 million. | Published May 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matt DiSanto

Construction continues on the new Bellefonte Elementary School on Friday, July 18, 2025. By Abby Drey

NO. 3: AS CLASSES START, HERE’S THE LATEST ON BIG PROJECTS IN CENTRE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

With major construction projects underway at several school districts, it’s been a busy summer in Centre County. | Published August 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew DiSanto

Penns Valley Area school buses arrive to drop students off of for the first day at Miles Township Elementary on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. By Abby Drey

NO. 4: COULD PENNS VALLEY SELL MILES TOWNSHIP ELEMENTARY? DISTRICT TO RECEIVE PROPOSALS

After closing its oldest elementary school, the Penns Valley Area School District is weighing the building’s future. | Published September 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matt DiSanto

The art room in the new Liberty-Curtin Elementary school on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. By Abby Drey

NO. 5: NOW OPEN, CENTRE COUNTY’S NEWEST SCHOOL IS ‘A WELCOME CHANGE.’ TAKE A LOOK INSIDE

Although students at Liberty-Curtin Elementary School have had a few weeks to get familiar with their new building, community members were invited this week to tour Centre County’s newest school. | Published September 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matt DiSanto

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.