Trenton Central High School

Trenton, New Jersey

Firm

Clarke Caton Hintz

Client

New Jersey School Construction Corporation

Area

490,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$100,000,000

Completion Date

08/2009

The proposed expansion plan for Trenton Central High School takes into account the condition of the facility, the required additions and alteration of spaces, as well as the projected enrollment data and proposed curriculum changes.
Trenton Central High School houses 2,400 students. Recent changes in the educational program call for reorganizing the school into small learning communities of about 300 students, each focusing on a different academic field. Under this new structure, each small learning community will be situated in a self-contained part of the building, using facilities within its own area. The whole school will share some of the larger facilities, such as the auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria and media center.
The school, built in the 1930s, had been altered, enlarged and reorganized many times. Many of its systems have served beyond their useful lifetimes, and some of the facilities are outdated. The renovation plan calls for a complete spatial, mechanical and electrical upgrading, hand in hand with a sensitive approach to the building’s historic character. In addition, spaces such as a new classroom wing and a new gymnasium will be added.