Education and community leaders and students officially opened the doors last week to the $9 million expansion, which had been under construction since Sept. 2024.
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Education and community leaders and students officially opened the doors last week to the $9 million Biddeford Primary School expansion, which had been under construction since September 2024.
The expansion was designed by local Mobile Studio Design and Haley Ward Inc., which is headquartered in Bangor. Gorham-based Great Falls Construction was the builder.
The two-story addition creates a unified early-learning campus for students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. It includes 16 modern classrooms and learning spaces designed specifically for young children, provides room for Head Start, and allows for the potential to expand pre-K opportunities in the future.
An outdoor classroom space has also been added to the campus.
The $9 million expansion was funded by a voter-approved bond as an alternative to a costly renovation of the aging John F. Kennedy Memorial School. The addition to Biddeford Primary versus renovating the older building was estimated to save taxpayers as much as $16 million.
JFK closed in June 2025 and the town is evaluating potential reuses for the building.
The new wing at Biddeford Primary School fulfills the district’s long-term vision for bringing all Pre-K through second grade students together, reducing school transitions during children’s earliest educational years.
“This project is about much more than additional classrooms; it is about creating stability, belonging and opportunity for our youngest learners,” said Jeremy Ray, Biddeford’s superintendent.
