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The Harrisburg School District (HSD) is holding a public hearing tonight, Tuesday (March 31), on a proposal to close two middle schools — Marshall Math Science Academy and Rowland Academy — at its administration building on North Seventh Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, starting at 6 p.m.
According to ABC27, the district cited repeated failures to meet state academic standards at both schools as a key reason for the proposed closures. At Rowland Academy, school records show that only 0.9% of students tested as proficient in Math Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) exams, and fewer than 10% were proficient in English Language Arts and Science exams. Marshall Math Science Academy also fell short of state expectations in English Language Arts/Literature and Mathematics/Algebra assessments.
Marshall Academy also recorded 130 out-of-school suspensions during the 2024–25 school year. While that number is lower than in previous years, the number of incidents that led to those suspensions has gone up.
As reported by TheBurg, the school board voted to formally recommend the closures at a recent board meeting, acting in line with a comprehensive facilities plan that began in 2023. Rowland Academy has been gradually winding down its middle school operations for the last three years and currently serves only 8th grade students. Those students will move on to high school at the end of this school year, at which point the district plans to shutter the middle school. Camp Curtin has already taken in students who would otherwise have attended Rowland.
Marshall Academy, a general middle school program that shared a building — and faculty and a principal — with the still-active Marshall Math and Science Academy, was provisionally closed at the start of the 2024–25 school year. The two programs were registered under different state codes. The Math and Science Academy required applications for enrollment, while the general program operated on home area status. Students from the general program have since been absorbed into the Math and Science Academy.
Once the closures are finalized, the district's middle school options will include Camp Curtin (grades 6–8), the blended-learning Cougar Academy (K–12), and Marshall Math and Science Academy (grades 6–8).
Under Pennsylvania law, a public hearing must take place at least three months before the school board can vote on the closures. Residents who want to comment at tonight's hearing can sign in at the door and will be given up to three minutes each. Those who prefer to submit written comments can do so through the district's website before the meeting.