If you live in Dublin, high school redistricting is likely to affect someone you know — if not your own family, then a neighbor, teammate, or classmate down the street. That’s why staying informed this spring and summer matters.

Dublin City Schools has launched a new high school redistricting process, and this time, the approach is built around community input and long-term planning.

After the initial effort to adjust high school boundaries was paused in October, the district is moving forward this spring with a fresh start. Previous draft maps are not being reconsidered, and no neighborhood has been pre-assigned to remain or change. Instead, every boundary will be evaluated as part of a comprehensive plan designed to support long-term growth and stability.

Why now? Enrollment patterns have shifted over time, and Jerome High School has reached capacity, even after the opening of a 60,000-square-foot addition in 2023. At the same time, the district expanded Scioto High School and now has space to accommodate approximately 600 additional students there. Rather than relying on short-term adjustments, Dublin City Schools hopes to realign boundaries to support long-term balance across all three high schools. The vision is three schools of comparable size, anticipating approximately 2,000 students at each building as the community continues to grow over the next five to ten years. The goal is not equal enrollment in a single year, but sustainable balance over time.

The renewed process began February 9 with a two-hour Board of Education retreat facilitated by Planning NEXT, an independent planning firm. During that session, Board members reviewed Board Policy 5120 and began defining the criteria that must guide redistricting decisions, including enrollment and capacity, transportation, financial efficiency, and the effectiveness of instructional programs 

One lesson from the previous attempt was clear: criteria must be ranked and weighted before maps are created. Some priorities naturally compete. This time, the Board is working to clarify what matters most when trade-offs are required.

In early March, Planning NEXT conducted approximately 27 focus groups representing a broad cross-section of the community. At the same time, Fallon Research administered a statistically valid poll to gather representative input from across the district. On March 23, the Board reviewed a summary of those findings.

In late April or early May, the Board is expected to adopt a resolution finalizing the criteria that will guide redistricting. Only after that step will the Superintendent issue a request for proposals for a firm to develop a single attendance map. That map is scheduled to be presented publicly in October.

Redistricting is complex, and not every outcome will feel the same for every family. Still, thoughtful long-term planning is essential to preserving the strength of all three high schools and the district as a whole. Community members can follow the process, review documents, and stay up to date at www.dublinschools.net or by subscribing to DCS Today, the district’s website news hub. The decisions made this year will shape Dublin’s high schools for the next decade. Staying informed matters.