School History

Natick High School opened in 1954. It was "state of the art" for its time. A major addition was added in 1966. Except for an elevator addition in 1999, no substantial changes have been made to the building.

The 2000 Annual Town Meeting formed a "Renovation Committee" to evaluate the needs of the Natick High School as a means of determining potential renovation and/or construction options for the school.

The Renovation Committee engaged Knight, Bagge & Anderson, Inc. (KBA) in August of 2000 to study the building and present a report. KBA presented the final study in February 2001. They recommended that, at minimum, a major renovation be undertaken to update the 1954/66 building, noting that most mechanical systems were beyond their service life. An option for a new building was included with cost comparisons.

The Renovation Committee reported to the Town Meeting in 2001. The Town Meeting formed a Natick High School Building Committee to report to the Natick School Committee. The Building Committee was charged with overseeing the development of architectural plans and specifications to construct, equip and furnish a renovated or expanded building. The committee's project was funded up to $500,000.

The Building Committee began meeting in January, 2002. It engaged the architectural firm of HMFH Architects, Inc. in March 2002. HMFH developed various plans to renovate and modernize the building. Each option presented problems with the interface of an addition to existing structures. HMFH presented an option for all-new construction on adjacent land. In November 2002, the Building Committee finished its discussion on renovation vs. new construction and voted to recommend new construction to the School Committee. The building committee presented its work to all town boards at a joint meeting in January, 2003.

Prior to the Building Committee receiving direction from the School Committee, the funding from the state was put on hold. The Building Committee met and decided to put all work on the project on hold. In May of 2003, the Building Committee went into hiatus awaiting an update on state funding from the Superintendent of Schools.

As time passed, the administration revisited the proposed building plan and location. This was an effort to simplify a complicated building design used to fit the adjacent site originally selected. In the ensuing years, the administration identified other building sites owned by the town in the general area of the existing high school in an effort to provide a more suitable location that could host a more traditional building.

In 2003, the Natick Public Schools opened the new Wilson Middle School. This building has a timeless design, excellent student flow and "maintenance-friendly" finishes and equipment. Using the Wilson School building as a model, with modifications and a size increase, the administration feels this would be the type of high school Natick would be proud to own and operate.

Natick Public Schools resumed work on the Natick High School building project in 2007. We have confidence that a building can be designed, sited and constructed in a timely, efficient and cost-saving manner.