2027-28 Redistricting

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools completed a Districtwide redistricting process to ensure a balance of student enrollment and staffing across all buildings. The primary goal was to address overutilization at Lincoln Elementary and Middle School South while ensuring efficient use of capacity in other facilities throughout the District. This initiative was a critical step toward providing a consistent, high-quality educational experience for all GJPS students.

This decision-making process was guided by a thorough, data-driven approach supported by our third-party expert and direct community input. The District combined enrollment and housing projections with feedback from more than 450 community members to shape the strategy. Using a weighted scorecard, the District evaluated boundary models against the priorities that mattered most to families: keeping neighborhoods together, assigning students to their closest school, aligning feeder patterns and minimizing the number of students moved.

The redistricting does not impact the 2026-27 school year; all boundary changes are scheduled to take effect for the 2027-28 school year.

A Districtwide update about these changes has been sent to all families. Households directly impacted were notified by email and will also receive a mailed letter with their building assignments for the 2027-28 school year.

New Boundary Lines

Moves Crescent at Central Park apartments from Goshen Lane to Lincoln and from MS West to MS South

Moves Jefferson Country Club, apartments near Broad Street and some other surrounding neighborhoods from Lincoln to Blacklick

Moves neighborhoods north of Havens Road along with a few established subdivisions that front Havens Road on the south side from Blacklick to High Point

Uses Havens Corners Road as the boundary between MS East and MS South (including Morrison Farms East)

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Elementary Boundary Map

A map displays elementary school boundaries with red arrows indicating changes in attendance zones, set against a backdrop of city streets and geographical features.

Middle School Boundary Map

A map displays school district boundaries with colored zones indicating areas of change, while the background shows a detailed street map with labeled neighborhoods and landmarks.

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February 2026 Enrollment Presentation

September 2026 BOE Redistricting Workshop Meeting

Strengths of the Selected Model

Provides relief to Lincoln Elementary and Middle School South
Ensures all neighborhoods stay together
Remains consistent with the percent of students attending their closest school
Maintains Blacklick Elementary as the only elementary school with a feeder split
- Improves the Blacklick MS feeder split percentage to be more balanced
Moves less than 250 students
Avoids moving students impacted by previous redistricting
Contains the primary impacts of students moved to 5 buildings
Fixes an already existing island at Crescent at Central Park
Neighborhoods stay together
Aligns with the Transportation Department’s preferred model

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is GJPS working through a redistricting process?

At the February Board of Education meeting, we shared details about our updated enrollment study and presented the need to review our enrollment patterns and building capacities across our schools. Two of our buildings, Lincoln Elementary and Middle School South, were identified as pressure points for us due to multi-family complex growth and housing turnover within their boundaries. This, along with future enrollment projections, prompted the need for the District to work through this redistricting process.

What was the process for this redistricting?

The District utilized a data-driven approach guided by a third-party consultant (Woolpert). The process included:

Analyzing enrollment and housing projections.
Providing three opportunities for community members to share feedback on the identified priorities.
Modeling boundary options and evaluating them against a weighted scorecard that prioritized criteria like building relief, feeder pattern alignment and minimizing student movement.
Reviewing these options with the transportation department for logistical feasibility.

What criteria were used when making these decisions?

As shared in our District newsletter in June, 450 community members took the survey to identify priorities to help drive the decision making. Based on those survey results, the community’s priorities were:

Attempt to create boundaries that assign students to their closest school
Attempt to create boundaries that keep neighborhoods together
Attempt to create boundaries that align feeder patterns
Attempt to create boundaries that move as few students as possible

These community priorities were weighted on a scorecard along with District priorities, which helped identify the model that provided the best solution.

What is the timeline for this redistricting?

All redistricting changes will take effect for the 2027-28 school year. No students will be moved as a part of this process during the current school year.

This redistricting began with the enrollment presentation at our February 2026 Board of Education meeting, which announced the need to look at enrollment balancing. There was a community survey during the spring to identify priorities that would guide the process. From there, District and building leaders examined models throughout the summer and completed a scorecard for each model.

The final redistricting map was presented at the September 2026 Board of Education workshop. A districtwide update about these changes has been sent to all families. Households directly impacted were notified by email and will also receive a mailed letter with their building assignments for the 2027-28 school year.

Can 5th and 8th graders remain in their current buildings to finish out their elementary or middle school experience?

Next year’s 5th and 8th grade students will be automatically approved for an in-district transfer to stay at their current building. These requests must be made using the 2027-28 Redistricting IDT Request form. Please note that District busing is not provided for IDT students, and transportation to and from school must be provided by families.

The IDT request process is open for 5th and 8th grade students impacted by redistricting from Friday, September 4, 2026 through Tuesday, December 22, 2026.
IDT requests for 5th and 8th grade students impacted by the redistricting plan will be granted, however, there are no guarantees for siblings of these students.

If I submit an in-district transfer request that is approved for my incoming 5th or 8th grader, can my other students remain in their current school as well?

Will special programs be impacted by the redistricting process and if so, how will the District notify impacted families?

It is possible that special programs such as special education, gifted and EL services in our District will be impacted by redistricting and could be moved. Once building capacity and student distribution is analyzed, decisions will be made regarding whether programming will stay in current buildings or moved to another building in the District.

If your student’s special program is moved, you will receive direct communication as soon as that information is available.

How will the District support my student(s) as they transition to their new school?

Building administrators, school counselors, teachers and support staff will be available to support all impacted students during this important transition. In the spring, during the second semester, buildings will host tours to help students and families get acclimated to their new school. Additionally, for students needing additional support, individual family meetings can be scheduled. If you have specific concerns about how your student may handle these changes, please contact your building principal for support.