Pollard Now

Needham, Massachusetts

A Stronger Pollard.
A Stronger Needham.

An investment in our schools is an investment in our community. By replacing our aging, overcrowded, and under-resourced Pollard middle school with a modern, energy efficient building we protect our property values, open the potential for up to $60 million1 in state funding, and create a resource for every resident.

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Our Foundation

“The very foundation of our town was built on the commitment to educate our children, recognizing that a strong school system is the heartbeat of a thriving community.”
— Adapted from the 1711 Petition for the Incorporation of Needham

We are replacing a 70-year old school into a facility designed for the next century. By moving forward now, we can leverage a state partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to build an energy efficient school that meets the needs of students and benefits our entire town—all while maintaining smart fiscal responsibility.

Why Pollard matters to every resident

Three reasons this matters — whether or not you have kids in school.

  1. A Resource for the Entire Community

    The new Pollard is more than a school—it’s a civic hub. Right sized and modernized performance spaces, gymnasiums, and sporting fields will be available for all Needham residents. Additionally, the energy efficient design is projected to save the town $122 thousand annually in energy costs, keeping our operating budget focused on services, not utilities.2

  2. Protecting Your Home Equity

    A town is only as desirable as its schools. Research shows that every $1 invested in school infrastructure can increase local property values by as much as $1.50. Whether you have children in the system or not, a modern Pollard ensures a consistent pipeline of homebuyers and protects the resale value of your home.3

  3. Securing Up to $60M in State Funding

    Through our partnership with the MSBA, Needham has a window to receive up to $60 million in state grants which will directly lower the total amount the town will need to borrow to build the school. A ‘no’ vote in November would likely start a multi-year application process with no guarantee of future funding, resulting in higher costs of construction later.

What’s being built — and what we have today

The plan in pictures.

Site design, plan comparison, and photos of the building Needham has today.

Slide 1 of 4

Site design — current progress

The proposed Pollard site with the building's relationship to fields, parking, bike paths, the loading dock, and existing trees called out.

Slide 1 of 4

Site design — current progress

Annotated site design diagram for the new Pollard Middle School showing the proposed building, with callouts: supplementing existing planting along frontage, driveway aligned to Mayo Ave, parking trays with PV canopies, bus exit route on-site, covered bike parking near front door, relocated loading dock, reduced bus drive width, outdoor fitness stations, fields relocated to front of school with parking moved to edges, safe bike paths to covered bike parking, second parking lot access, high fencing around field, HP and van spaces near front door, minimizing existing tree removal and replanting with new. Vehicle capacity: 260 parked cars, 26 cars in queue, 19 buses, 5 vans.

The proposed Pollard site with the building's relationship to fields, parking, bike paths, the loading dock, and existing trees called out.

Full-resolution plans and ongoing updates live on the official Pollard Middle School Project page(opens in new tab).

Why your voice matters now

The final step is a community-wide “Yes.”

We have an incredible opportunity to shape the future of Needham, and we want you to be a part of it! While our town has been accepted in to the MSBA program to partner together for a new Pollard, the final step to cross the finish line is a community-wide “Yes” vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Because this local vote happens during the federal election, your help is the most important way of ensuring every neighbor remembers to look for Pollard on their ballot. We are a small team of four neighbors fueled by community spirit, and we’d love for you to join the momentum!

Here’s how we can win together

  • Lend Your Time

    Help us share the excitement through community outreach.

  • Lend Your Voice

    Remind your friends and neighbors to show up and vote local this November.

  • Lend Your Support

    Every donation—large or small—helps us provide the lawn signs and mailers that keep our community informed and inspired.

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Pollard Now

From Needham Public Schools

Plans, financials, and the latest updates — straight from the source.

Plans, financial impact tables, meeting minutes, and the latest timeline updates from the Pollard Building Project.

Open the project page(opens in new tab)

Sources & notes

  1. 1. Pollard Middle School Project Submission Documents — PDP Chapter 3.1.1.4: Capital Budget Statement (Page 16). ↩
  2. 2. Pollard Middle School Project Submission Documents — PDP Module 3: Preliminary Design Program (Energy & Sustainability Section). ↩
  3. 3. Cellini, S. R., Ferreira, F., & Rothstein, J. (2010). “The Value of School Facility Investments: Evidence from a Dynamic Regression Discontinuity Design.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics. ↩