JFK School in Biddeford closes its doors for good on Thursday

The end of the school year is usually bittersweet, but at John F. Kennedy School in Biddeford, it’s even more bittersweet than usual this June.

Students will exit the building for the last time Thursday as the school at 64 West St. closes its doors for good. Built in 1965, the school has served different grade levels over the years, and most recently Pre-K and kindergarten. With the school closing, the Pre-K and kindergarten classes will be moved to Biddeford Primary School, which is currently being expanded to accommodate the students.

All kindergarten students will attend classes at Biddeford Primary School in the fall, and Pre-K will be temporarily housed at Biddeford Intermediate School until the Biddeford Primary School wing is complete in late 2025.

John F. Kennedy School has served students well for many years, but school officials say it is now in deteriorating condition. An assessment done in 2022 determined that renovating JFK would cost significantly more than constructing new space. Biddeford taxpayers approved a $9 million construction bond to expand Biddeford Primary School —an investment estimated to save up to $16 million over the cost of renovating JFK.

“Closing JFK School is a significant milestone, not just emotionally but in terms of progress,” said Superintendent Jeremy Ray. “We’re incredibly grateful to the staff who have made JFK such a special place to Biddeford’s youngest learners. Their dedication will carry forward into our new learning environments, which are being designed to better support both students and families in the long term.”

The new location will have more modern facilities and improve access to specialized resources, said Ray. He said it will also mean one less transition for young students, who will now spend four years at their first school.

Meghan Schrader, co-coordinator of JFK school said there was a lot of collaboration between staff, each bringing their individual strengths to the table. For example, if one teacher said they wanted to do a unit on butterflies, and other staff thought it was a good idea, the whole school would do a unit on butterflies.

“We became a family,” said Kindergarten teacher Kathryn McTaggart, who taught at JFK for 19 years.

McTaggart said the closeness of staff will continue to the next school, and Pre-K and kindergarten teachers will have the opportunity to see their former students as they move on to first and second grade and watch their progress.

Schrader and McTaggart both see an opportunity for increased collaboration between teachers. Schrader said the first and second graders can serve as role models to the younger students and McTaggart envisions older students becoming reading buddies with the younger students.

It is undetermined what will happen to the JFK property. It’s future use will be decided by the Biddeford City Council.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.