Lakewood schools redraw elementary boundaries as Lincoln closes

Map of Lakewood divided into six colored elementary school attendance areas: Horace Mann, Grant, Emerson, Harrison, Hayes and Roosevelt — The new elementary boundaries, which take effect in 2027-28. Map courtesy Lakewood City Schools

Lakewood City Schools has released new elementary school boundaries, which take effect when the 2027-28 school year starts on August 19, 2027. The district’s online boundary map shows which school any address is assigned to.

SOURCE · lakewoodcityschools.org · Checked October 3The district's elementary plan page, with the address lookup

The boundaries changed because Lincoln Elementary will become the district’s Lincoln Early Learning Center that year, offering preschool, before- and after-school care and summer daycare. Lincoln’s attendance area, between the lake and Detroit Avenue in the middle of the city, is divided among Horace Mann, Grant and Emerson, and the lines between the other schools move as well. Middle school boundaries stay the same.

SOURCE · lakewoodcityschools.org · Checked October 3The boundary maps presented to the board on September 28

Lakewood has no school buses, and the district says the new lines add little walking: in five of the six attendance areas the average walk to school is unchanged, and the largest average increase is a tenth of a mile. Those averages cover each school’s whole attendance area, including students whose school does not change.

The school board approved the change on September 8, voting on it for a second time after a legal settlement required it to reconsider. Enrollment across the district’s elementary schools fell from 2,286 students in 2015-16 to 1,792 last school year. The district says its six remaining elementary schools will be about 70% full on average, up from 64% across seven.

Families whose assigned school changes can ask for a different one through open enrollment, and get first priority. Applications for 2027-28 run from January 19 to February 26, 2027. Families already approved for a school outside their area have to apply again.

SOURCE · lakewoodcityschools.org · Checked October 3Open enrollment for 2027-28: dates and rules

Three of the district’s specialized programs also change buildings, including gifted self-contained classes, which move from Grant to Hayes. The district’s FAQ lists the others.

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WRITTEN BYCory RobertsA Lakewood resident since graduating from Case Western University in 2012.11 articlesView profile →