Hanover County Public Schools Boundary Rezoning Scenarios

Updated Date: April 14, 2025

MGT Impact Solutions

Introduction

Hanover County Public Schools is currently undergoing a boundary adjustment process as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our school buildings support the current and future needs of our school community. HCPS has engaged a third-party vendor, MGT, to lead this process, utilizing their expertise in school boundary analysis and associated community engagement.

MGT has completed the student forecasts and has begun working with the division's executive team to develop different rezoning scenarios for the Elementary and Middle/High School attendance zones.

Guiding Principles for Boundary Adjustments

MGT and the school division's executive team will be using the following guiding principles to draft boundary configuration option(s). Please note that these guiding principles are not prioritized.

Balance utilization at the current, 5-year, and 10-year forecasted trends.
Minimize the number of students impacted by boundary adjustments.
Work to maintain neighborhood schools and avoid "island zones" where small sections are detached from their surrounding areas.
Consider transportation impacts, and work towards limiting the amount of time required on a bus.
Minimize disruption and impacts to special programs or special populations (e.g., free-and-reduced lunch programs, economically disadvantaged, special education).

Elementary School Utilization Challenges (current and future):

Current Elementary school attendance areas with utilization percentages for the 2024-25 base school year and predicted utilization for the 2029-30 and 2034-35 school years.

Forecasted ES resident student population with building capacity. Please note Washington-Henry ES functional capacity will expand to 495 in 2027.

As shown above, both Cool Spring ES and Washington-Henry ES currently have high utilization at 109.7% and 98.4%, respectively. However, the new building at Washington-Henry ES will increase the functional capacity in SY2027, resulting in a lower utilization of 74.6%. Modifications to the Cool Spring ES attendance area with adjacent zones could help reduce the high utilization at Cool Spring ES. Conversely, South Anna ES, Pole Green ES, and Cold Harbor ES have lower building utilizations (63.2%, 66.3%, and 70.3%, respectively). Adjacent attendance areas with higher utilization could be modified to increase utilization at these schools.

Middle/High School Utilization Challenges (current and future):

Middle school attendance areas with utilization percentages for the 2024-25 base school year and predicted utilization for the 2029-30 and 2034-35 school years.

High school attendance areas with utilization percentages for the 2024-25 base school year and predicted utilization for the 2029-30 and 2034-35 school years.

Forecasted MS and HS resident student population with building capacity.

An analysis of middle school utilization shows that in the 2024-25 school year, the highest utilization is at Chickahominy MS (95.5%) and the lowest is at Oak Knoll MS (63.5%). Whereas, both Liberty MS and Bell Creek MS are around 80% utilized. Attendance area modifications between Chickahominy MS and Oak Knoll MS could distribute utilization more evenly between the two schools.

When reviewing forecasted building utilizations, Atlee HS continues to grow resulting in a building utilization of over 100% by the 2029-30 school year. Hanover HS is expected to remain relatively stable, resulting in utilization of 66.2% in school year 2034-35. Hence, any attendance area modifications implemented in the near-term would likely result in lowering the utilization at Atlee HS and increase utilization at Hanover HS in the long-term.

Boundary Recommendations

The boundary review committee has worked over the last five months to identify a boundary recommendation for Hanover County Public Schools to begin implementation in Fall 2026. The Board workgroup has reviewed several scenarios and investigated the potential benefits and challenges of each using the guiding principles for this process. The School Board workgroup decided at the February 25, 2025, work session to promote the Green Scenario for consideration as their Draft Boundary Recommendation for elementary, middle, and high school attendance areas. At the March 11, 2025 School Board meeting, the School Board unanimously voted to delay implementation of initial boundary modifications until the fall of the 2026-27 school year and unanimously voted to have school division administration develop an implementation framework. The School Board also received the Board workgroup's recommendation of the Green Scenario for the Final Boundary Recommendation. At the April 8, 2025 School Board meeting, the School Board received the draft implementation framework prepared by school division administration and announced a public hearing ahead of the anticipated May 13 vote on the Boundary Recommendation. Please review the maps and statistical reports below for additional information.

Recommendation for Elementary Boundaries (Green Scenario)

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The Division's highest priority with this process is to relieve Cool Spring ES as it is operating above its building capacity and is projected to exceed it even further in the next 5 years. In order to relieve Cool Spring ES while applying the guiding principles of the process, the executive team investigated reassigning the area on the southeast end of the current Cool Spring ES attendance zone to Washington-Henry ES.

These potential change areas (from Cool Spring ES to Washington-Henry ES) consist of the Giles, Atlee Manor, Craney Island Farms and Craney Island Estates neighborhoods. Together, they would lower the total number of resident students for Cool Spring ES and bring the utilization level from over 117% to 85% in the future.

However, Washington-Henry ES will not have the capacity to handle all of the new resident students until the new school building opens for the 2027-28 school year.

The GREEN area (Atlee Manor and Craney Island neighborhoods) would move to Washington-Henry ES starting in the 2026-27 school year. The Giles neighborhood area (brown highlighted area) would remain at Cool Spring ES until the 2027-28 school year at the opening of the new Washington-Henry ES building.

Several additional proposed adjustments were made to the elementary boundaries to address the domino effect created by the initial change and balance the overall utilization with the forecasted trends. With these changes, the executive team endeavored to balance utilization under the direction of the guiding principles.

This area would move from Washington-Henry ES to Rural Point ES. This would help alleviate Washington-Henry ES due to the potential movement of students from Cool Spring ES to Washington-Henry ES.

This area would move from Rural Point ES to Pearson's Corner ES due to its close proximity and potential for future growth.

These areas would move from Rural Point ES to Pole Green ES in order to bolster utilization at Pole Green ES and allow Rural Point ES to receive new students from Washington-Henry ES.

This area would move from Washington-Henry ES to Mechanicsville ES. This would help alleviate Washington-Henry ES due to the potential movement of students from Cool Spring ES to Washington-Henry ES. This area is south of Meadowbridge Rd., a large thoroughfare along a large portion of Washington-Henry ES's southern boundary.

This area would move from Mechanicsville ES to Cold Harbor ES to increase utilization at Cold Harbor ES and allow Mechanicsville ES to take on potential new students from Washington-Henry ES.

This area would potentially move from Cold Harbor ES to Battlefield Park ES to balance utilization between the two schools.

This area would potentially move from Ashland ES to South Anna ES to increase utilization at South Anna ES and alleviate Ashland ES in the future.

This area would potentially move from Elmont ES to Kersey Creek ES to better align the elementary zones to the middle and high school zones.

This area would move from Pole Green ES to Laurel Meadow ES to address road access issues. This would not affect any students.

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Recommendation for Middle/High School Boundaries - (Green Scenario)

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The executive team prepared a rezoning plan for the Middle and High School zones, a boundary option if the RECOMMENDATION for the elementary plan is implemented. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

In addition to balancing utilization to account for forecasted trends, this scenario aligns all but one elementary school under the elementary RECOMMENDATION to fully feed into one middle and high school.

This area would move from Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS to Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS. This would align with the Kersey Creek ES attendance zone under the RECOMMENDED elementary plan.

This area would move from Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS to Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS. This would align with the proposed Rural Point ES attendance zone under the RECOMMENDED elementary plan.

This area would move from Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS to Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS. This would align with the Pearson's Corner ES attendance zone under the RECOMMENDED elementary plan.

This area would move from Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS to Bell Creek MS and Mechanicsville HS. This would align with the Laurel Meadow ES attendance zone under the RECOMMENDED elementary plan.

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for the Boundary Recommendations.

Click to enlarge. Total Impacted resident students by zone for the Boundary Recommendations.

Next Steps: Board Input and Work Sessions

What has been done:

Spring/Summer 2024: As part of a long-term and comprehensive solution towards addressing student enrollment and capacity across all schools in the division, including Cool Spring Elementary School, we determined that a boundary adjustment process is needed. Accordingly, a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process began that included receiving and evaluating bids and conducting due diligence. This process was specifically administered by Hanover County Government, which oversees the procurement process across agencies in the county, including Hanover County Public Schools, and is in alignment with established procurement policies and state codes, specifically the Virginia Public Procurement Act. MGT was selected through this competitive process.
October 2024: We announced the start of this process and met with MGT as a School Board, providing guidance on the process.
October-December 2024: Utilizing MGT’s expertise, data (e.g., birth rates, enrollment, school capacity) was gathered and analyzed, and forecasts and boundary scenarios were developed.
January 2025: Proposed scenarios were published, and community engagement began.
February 10, 2025: Survey closed.
February 11, 2025: School Board update on the boundary adjustment process and timeline.
February 14, 2025: Compiled survey data is shared with School Board members and committee.
February 20, 2025: Meeting with School Board members to refine scenarios presented and consider other recommendations.
February 25, 2025: Meeting with School Board members to refine scenarios presented and consider other recommendations. Develop the scenarios into recommendations for presentation and discussion at the March 11 School Board work session.
March 11, 2025: At its monthly business meeting, the School Board unanimously voted to delay implementation of initial boundary modifications until the fall of the 2026-27 school year and unanimously voted to have school division administration develop an implementation framework. The Board also received the Board workgroup's recommendation of the Green Scenario for the Final Boundary Recommendation.
April 8, 2025: The School Board received the draft implementation framework prepared by school division administration and announced a public hearing ahead of the anticipated May 13 vote on the Final Boundary Recommendation.

What is next:

May 13, 2025: The School Board to hold a designated public hearing on the Green Scenario. The Board also plans to take action on the final boundary recommendation – the Green Scenario.
DRAFT Implementation Plan - While no vote was taken at the April 8, 2025 School Board meeting, the majority of School Board members expressed support for a plan that includes the following:
- A waiver process for 2026-27 12th grade, eighth grade, and fifth grade (2027-28 for Giles) students to remain at their current school.
- A waiver process for 2025-26 kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade students to begin the coming school year at their newly zoned school.
- A waiver process to allow students who will move to Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS in the 2026-27 school year to begin at their newly zoned school in the 2025-26 school year.
- All waivers would be dependent upon school and grade level capacity.
- All waivers would require parent transportation.
- All waivers would be processed as they are received.

For additional information on the process, please refer to the Boundary Adjustment Landing page HERE . Thank you for your time and interest in this process.

Archived Scenarios

Archived Elementary Boundaries

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Archived Elementary "Blue" and "Green" Scenarios

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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However, Washington-Henry ES will not have the capacity to handle all of the new resident students until the new school building opens for the 2027-28 school year. As a result, the executive team prepared two different possible implementation scenarios.

In the BLUE scenario, the Giles neighborhood would be zoned to Washington-Henry ES starting in the 2026-27 school year, while the remainder of the potential change area would remain at Cool Spring ES until the 2027-28 school year at the opening of the new Washington-Henry ES building.

In the GREEN scenario, the Atlee Manor and Craney Island neighborhoods would move to Washington-Henry ES starting in the 2026-27 school year, while the Giles neighborhood would remain at Cool Spring ES until the 2027-28 school year at the opening of the new Washington-Henry ES building.

This area would move from Rural Point ES to Pearson's Corner ES due to its close proximity and potential for future growth.

This area would potentially move from Cold Harbor ES to Battlefield Park ES to balance utilization between the two schools.

This area would potentially move from Ashland ES to South Anna ES to increase utilization at South Anna ES and alleviate Ashland ES in the future.

This area would potentially move from Elmont ES to Kersey Creek ES to better align the elementary zones to the middle and high school zones.

This area would move from Pole Green ES to Laurel Meadow ES to address road access issues. This would not affect any students.

Archived Elementary Blue/Green Scenarios - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for Elementary Plans Blue (left) and Green (right).

Looking at the tables above, both plans successfully balance the utilization of the division's elementary schools, with nearly all schools operating between 75% and 95% of their designated capacities with current and forecasted student numbers. In the Blue scenario, Cool Spring ES and Washington-Henry ES would maintain a balanced utilization both now and in the future. In the Green scenario, Cool Springs ES would be operating at nearly 100% capacity while Washington-Henry ES would be under-utilized until the opening of the new building in the 2027-28 school year.

Please note that demographic percentages are not forecasted and represent only the current student population. Demographic differences remain minor because larger shifts would conflict with guiding principles (i.e., minimizing impacts to students and special programs, maintaining neighborhood cohesiveness, keeping transportation times low, etc.).

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Archived Elementary "Purple" Scenario

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The following slides walk through the potential change areas of the elementary zones under the purple scenario. Under this scenario, all potential change areas would change in the 2025-26 school year. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

The Purple scenario shows another possible path to relieve Cool Spring ES by reassigning parts of the Kings Charter neighborhood from the Cool Spring ES attendance zone to Pearson's Corner ES. This would split the Kings Charter neighborhood along Charter Lake.

The Craney Island Estates and Craney Island Farms neighborhoods would potentially change from the Cool Spring ES attendance zone to Washington-Henry ES. Additionally, the Rutland Village townhomes west of Atlee Road would move from Pearson's Corner ES to Washington-Henry ES under the Purple scenario. (This would help alleviate Pearson's Corner ES from the additional students coming from the Kings Charter neighborhood.)

These areas would move from Rural Point ES to Pole Green ES in order to bolster utilization at Pole Green ES and relieve Rural Point ES utilization in the future.

This area would move from Washington-Henry ES to Mechanicsville ES. This would help alleviate Washington-Henry ES due to the potential movement of students from Cool Spring ES to Washington-Henry ES. This area is south of Meadowbridge Rd., a large thoroughfare along a large portion of Washinton-Henry ES's southern boundary.

This area would potentially move from Cold Harbor ES to Battlefield Park ES to balance utilization between the two schools.

This area would potentially move from Ashland ES to South Anna ES to increase utilization at South Anna ES and alleviate Ashland ES in the future.

This area would potentially move from Elmont ES to Kersey Creek ES to better align the elementary zones to the middle and high school zones.

This area would move from Pole Green ES to Laurel Meadow ES to address road access issues.

Archived Elementary Purple Scenario - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for Elementary Purple Scenario.

Looking at the table above, the Purple scenario lowers utilization at Cool Spring ES. However, it splits a neighborhood (Kings Charter), increases utilization at Pearson's Corner ES to 96% in the near-term, and leaves Washington-Henry ES with a low utilization rate when the new building opens in school year 2027-28.

The Purple scenario rolls back potential change areas (from the Blue/Green ES scenarios) east of Shady Grove Rd and west of Highway 301 south of Pearson's Corner ES.

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Archived Elementary "Indigo" Scenario (Published 2/21/2025)

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The following slides walk through the potential change areas of the elementary zones under the Indigo scenario. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

The Indigo scenario relieves Cool Spring ES by reassigning ALL of the Kings Charter neighborhood from the Cool Spring ES attendance zone to Pearson's Corner ES.

By moving the Kings Charter neighborhood into Pearson's Corner ES, our analysis indicates the school would become overcrowded and need to be relieved elsewhere. The Indigo scenario does this by moving the Rutland Village townhomes west of Atlee Road would move to Cool Springs ES, and moving the rest of the Rutland neighborhood to Washington-Henry ES.

Due to its proximity, the future townhomes and apartments planned at Caldwell Park would be zoned to Pearson's Corner ES under the Indigo scenario, while Rutland Grove would remain zoned to Rural Point Elementary.

In order to allow Washington-Henry Elementary to take in students from Rutland under the Indigo scenario, the neighborhoods of Crown Colony, Royal Glen and Timberlake Commons would move to Rural Point Elementary.

Due to its proximity, the neighborhood of Garrison Manor would move to Washington-Henry Elementary under the Indigo scenario. However, Washington-Henry will NOT have the capacity to take on these additional students until the new campus is opened, so this change would not take place until 2027.

These areas would move from Rural Point ES to Pole Green ES in order to bolster utilization at Pole Green ES and relieve Rural Point ES utilization in the future.

This area would move from Washington-Henry ES to Mechanicsville ES. This would help alleviate Washington-Henry ES due to the potential movement of students from Cool Spring ES to Washington-Henry ES. This area is south of Meadowbridge Rd., a large thoroughfare along a large portion of Washinton-Henry ES's southern boundary.

This area would potentially move from Cold Harbor ES to Battlefield Park ES to balance utilization between the two schools.

This area would potentially move from Ashland ES to South Anna ES to increase utilization at South Anna ES and alleviate Ashland ES in the future.

This area would potentially move from Elmont ES to Kersey Creek ES to better align the elementary zones to the middle and high school zones.

This area would move from Pole Green ES to Laurel Meadow ES to address road access issues.

Archived Elementary Indigo Scenario - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for Elementary Indigo Scenario.

Looking at the table above, the Indigo scenario successfully balances the utilization of the division's elementary schools, while avoiding splitting any neighborhoods. Nearly all schools operating between 75% and 95% of their designated capacities with current and forecasted student numbers, though Pearson's Corner ES and Kersey Creek ES would remain on the higher end of this range. This scenario does involve impacting a higher number of students than previous scenarios and would require delayed implementation of one area.

Archived Middle/High School Boundaries

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Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Blue" and "Green" elementary scenarios.

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The executive team prepared a rezoning plan for the Middle and High School zones, a boundary option if either the "Blue" or "Green" elementary plans were implemented. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

In addition to balancing utilization to account for forecasted trends, this scenario aligns all but one elementary school under proposed ES plans Blue and Green to fully feed into one middle and high school.

Archived Middle/High School Blue/Green Scenarios - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for Middle and High School Blue/Green Boundary Option.

Looking at the charts above, the MS/HS Blue/Green Boundary Option balances the utilization of the division's middle and high schools, with most or all schools operating between 75% and 95% of their designated capacities with current and forecasted student numbers. This option keeps Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS from operating near or over their functional capacities both now and in the future. This scenario also allows Hanover HS to retain extra capacity for special programs without pushing other schools to be operating above their capacities.

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Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Purple" elementary scenario.

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

01 / 06

The executive team prepared a rezoning plan for the Middle and High School zones, a boundary option if the "Purple" elementary plan was implemented. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

In addition to balancing utilization to account for forecasted trends, this scenario aligns all but one elementary school under proposed ES Purple scenario to fully feed into one middle and high school.

Archived Middle/High School Purple Scenario - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Click to enlarge. Utilization and Demographics Report for Middle and High School for the Purple Boundary Option.

Looking at the charts above, the MS/HS Purple Boundary Option also balances the utilization of the division's middle and high schools, with most or all schools operating between 75% and 95% of their designated capacities with current and forecasted student numbers. This option also keeps Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS from operating near or over their functional capacities both now and in the future. However, Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS both have higher utilization than in the Blue/Green Boundary Option for MS and HS. This scenario also allows Hanover HS to retain extra capacity for special programs without pushing other schools to be operating above their capacities.

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Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Indigo" elementary scenario.

Click through slides below for a detailed explanation of the potential change areas:

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The executive team prepared a rezoning plan for the Middle and High School zones, a boundary option if the "Indigo" elementary plan was implemented. Click the arrows to the right to view the slides. You can also search for a location (upper left icon) and view the legend (lower left icon).

In addition to balancing utilization to account for forecasted trends, this scenario aligns all but one elementary school under proposed ES Indigo scenario to fully feed into one middle and high school.

This area would move from Oak Knoll MS and Hanover HS to Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS. This would align with the Washington-Henry ES attendance zone under the elementary "Indigo" plan.

Archived Middle/High School Indigo Scenario - Interactive Map

Use the search button at the top left to type an address and see where it falls in this scenario.

Looking at the charts above, the MS/HS Indigo Boundary Option, similar to all previous options, balances the utilization of the division's middle and high schools, with most or all schools operating between 75% and 95% of their designated capacities with current and forecasted student numbers. This option also keeps Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS from operating over their functional capacities both now and in the future. However, Chickahominy MS and Atlee HS both have higher utilization than in the Blue/Green Boundary Option for MS and HS. This scenario also allows Hanover HS to retain extra capacity for special programs without pushing other schools to be operating above their capacities.

Resident Students Living in Potential Change Areas

See tables below for the number of students living within a potential change area. Each row desinates the current school of residence and the columns represent the potential new school of residence. Please note that these are resident student counts and do not take into consideration student transfers, policy, program placement, or implementation planning.

Hanover County Public Schools Boundary Rezoning Scenarios

Introduction

Guiding Principles for Boundary Adjustments

Boundary Recommendations

Recommendation for Elementary Boundaries (Green Scenario)

Recommendation for Middle/High School Boundaries - (Green Scenario)

Next Steps: Board Input and Work Sessions

Archived Scenarios

Archived Elementary "Blue" and "Green" Scenarios

Archived Elementary "Purple" Scenario

Archived Elementary "Indigo" Scenario (Published 2/21/2025)

Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Blue" and "Green" elementary scenarios.

Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Purple" elementary scenario.

Archived Middle and High School boundary option corresponding to the "Indigo" elementary scenario.

Resident Students Living in Potential Change Areas

Resident Students Blue Scenario for ES/MS/HS

Resident Students Green Scenario for ES/MS/HS

Resident Students Purple Scenario for ES/MS/HS

Resident Students Indigo Scenario for ES/MS/HS