Olentangy Local Schools held its final public forum on proposed attendance boundary changes on Wednesday, November 4, at Olentangy Orange High School, closing a four-meeting series that will help decide which neighborhoods attend which schools when two new buildings open in Delaware County. The Columbus Dispatch reported that families gathered to study maps of the proposed boundaries after a presentation on how the three redistricting scenarios were developed, as the state’s fourth-largest school district adjusts for continued population growth.
The forum was the last of four held across the district this fall. According to Olentangy Local Schools, the same presentation was offered October 26 at Olentangy Liberty High School, October 28 at Olentangy Berlin High School, and November 2 at Olentangy High School, each at 6:30 p.m., with an online survey for families who could not attend.
At the center of the process are two new schools funded by the 2025 ballot issue. Deer Haven Elementary School, currently under construction in Liberty Township, will open in August 2027 for the 2027-28 school year and become the district’s 18th elementary school, according to the district. Olentangy Hyatts High School, the district’s fifth high school, is being built at the intersection of Bunty Station and Sawmill Roads and will open for the 2028-29 school year.
Hyatts will open without a senior class. Krista Davis, the district’s chief communications officer, told The Columbus Dispatch the new high school will not have a 12th grade class in its first year because the district does not want to separate seniors from their current high schools during their final year. That choice is one of several transition questions families have raised, alongside feeder patterns and transportation.
Voters set this round of construction in motion in November 2025, when they approved a $235 million bond issue with about 56 percent of voters in favor, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The district is using the bond funds to buy land and build the two new schools, and to improve or expand some existing facilities. The buildings respond to overcrowding at some schools and uneven enrollment across others.
The options were built over months of volunteer work. The Superintendent’s Attendance Boundary Committee is a 25-member group of parents, community members, and staff that, according to the district, has dedicated more than 600 hours to reviewing boundaries, feeder patterns, and enrollment projections. The Columbus Dispatch reported the committee explored more than three dozen options before narrowing to three scenarios, guided by Board-approved guidelines and mapping tools from planning partner Woolpert.
All three scenarios are designed to ease overcrowding and fill the two new schools, but they strike that balance differently. According to materials presented at the forum and reported by The Columbus Dispatch, committee members identified scenarios A and B as the strongest options, while scenario C would move the fewest students overall but would likely require additional high school boundary adjustments in the future. Families can compare their own address under each proposal using the district’s official boundary locator tool.
The district stresses nothing has been settled. On its 2027-28 Redistricting webpage, Olentangy Local Schools says no decision has been made and no scenario is being prioritized, noting the labels A, B, and C are simply identifiers and each scenario is a concept. The final plan could differ from all three proposals.
Reaction has been measured, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Davis told The Columbus Dispatch families seem generally receptive, while acknowledging the difficulty of a move: “Nobody wants to leave a great school,” she told The Columbus Dispatch. Roger Bartz, a committee member and former board member, told The Columbus Dispatch feedback has generally been positive though boundary changes are “never a perfect fit,” recalling, “My eldest son was moved three times. He turned out fine,” in comments reported by The Columbus Dispatch. Parent Tim Shaw told The Columbus Dispatch he preferred scenario B over safety concerns about crossing busy U.S. 23.
Redistricting is familiar in Olentangy, where housing growth in southern Delaware County has repeatedly filled new buildings soon after they open. Deputy Superintendent Jack Fette estimated earlier this fall, in reporting by the Delaware Source, that the district has gone through 14 or 15 rounds of redistricting in his 15 years there. That is why the committee weighed future development, not just current enrollment.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on: Confirmed is the framework — two new schools, three scenarios, a feedback deadline, and a December decision date. Not yet known is which neighborhoods will move, whether middle school assignments will change, and how transfers, siblings, and athletics eligibility will be handled for students who switch schools.
What happens next comes quickly. The district’s online feedback survey closes on Thursday, November 5, after which the boundary committee will study the responses during November and make its recommendation to Superintendent Todd Meyer. Under Ohio law, Meyer is responsible for assigning students and staff to district buildings, and he is expected to announce the final redistricting plan at the December 10 Olentangy school board meeting. Deer Haven Elementary then opens in August 2027, with Hyatts High School following for 2028-29, and families can follow the process and check their address on the district’s 2027-28 Redistricting webpage.
Photo: BPaulLucas, CC BY-SA 3.0