Friday marks the start of the 2024-2025 school year for the more than 14,000 Iowa City Community School District Students. The first day welcomes changes from ongoing projects to new hires.
Here is everything you need to know as locals return to class:
Hills Elementary is no more
In March, the Iowa City Community School District School board voted unanimously to shut down Hills Elementary. Former Hills students are now attending Alexander Elementary, in the southeast part of Iowa City, roughly 7.5 miles from Hills Elementary.
The school board admitted it was a “difficult but necessary” cost-cutting measure to save an estimated $1.66 million. Hills Elementary opened in 1965 with five teachers leading grades 1-8. It became a part of the ICCSD in 1970.
More: Where will Hills Elementary students attend school in the fall? Here’s what we know
This school year, six teachers and 10 support staff members from Hills will work at Alexander Elementary.
“All of the Hills staff members, with the exception of Reagan (Boesset) (former Hills Elementary Principal), are staff members that are going to also be working at Alexander and teaching at Alexander next year,” said Katie Thompson, principal at Alexander Elementary at a school board meeting in April.