ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — There has been a lot of growth in the Adams Township area over the years.
“When I got out here, it was 1999,” Joseph Stein said.
“And how much has it grown since you’ve been out here?” Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek asked.
“Tremendous[ly],” Stein responded.
That population growth has increased the size of the Mars Area School District, where students from Adams Township, Middlesex Township, and the Mars and Valencia Boroughs.
In the last few years, the district analyzed the population of the area and what it means for the size of the student body.
In 2024, there were a little more than 3,600 students.
They’re projected to have just over 3,900 by the 2028 school year.
“It depends on the population; they know what to do. If they have to build schools, build ‘em,” Stein said.
The district has already been working toward adapting to the growing size of the district.
Work is underway on a more than $21 million elementary school expansion in the Mars Area School District. The construction company working on the project showed the district some progress photos last week on how things are going so far. The expansion will add a three-story classroom wing, a new cafeteria and kitchen, and a large classroom for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, or STEAM, education.
But Wednesday night, the district heard plans from the district’s project manager for an expansion of the centennial school and possibly renovating or building a new football stadium.
“I find it beneficial, yes, for the students,” said Laura Hofmann of Butler County.
There’s still a bit of work to do on these ideas, but the project manager says if there are no delays, the centennial school expansion could be ready by summer 2028.
The current work on the elementary school expansion is expected to be completed sometime in 2027.
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