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‘Neck River’ Selected for New Elementary School

It's official. When Madison's newest elementary school opens its doors for the 2025-'26 school year, it'll do so as Neck River Elementary School. The decision comes after a unanimous vote by the Board of Education (BOE) at a special meeting on Feb. 27.

The new Neck River name came from a list of three potential names forwarded to the BOE by the Ad-Hoc New Elementary School Naming Committee. Those three names, however, had been part of a larger 15-name list presented for public feedback in December 2023. According to a press release from Madison Public Schools (MPS), the committee had received possible names from more than 150 people during a month-long suggestion period.

"They did a lot of work," said BOE Chairperson Seth Klaskin. "They got a lot of input from the town. A lot of really good input. Everyone was engaged on this."

In addition to Neck River, the committee suggested Hammonasset Elementary in honor of the Hammonasset Native Americans who once called the area home and Marguerite "Taffy" Bowes Elementary as possibilities. Bowes is a former Madison Youth and Family Services program director who served for 26 years. She is currently working at Grove School.

"I think Hammonasset is kind of a mouthful and hard to spell for elementary-aged kids," Klaskin said, adding that other areas in town are already named after the indigenous tribe, most notably Hammonasset Beach State Park.

In voting for Neck River, Klaskin said the name and the river itself are unique to the town.

"The Neck River is the only [one] of three rivers in Madison that has its source and mouth all contained within our town, so it's unique in that regard," Klaskin said. "It runs right through the property. It's contiguous to the school."

Residents approved the $61.15 million pre-K-5 elementary school as part of the larger Madison Schools Renewal Plan at a February 2022 referendum. The plan includes the construction of the new school, transforming Brown Intermediate School into a K-5 school, and renovations at Polson Middle School, including its air quality and HVAC systems. Jefferson and Ryerson elementary schools will close at the conclusion of the project, reducing the district's schools to four buildings.

Construction of Neck River Elementary School is scheduled to take 15 months and will get underway this spring. Officials anticipate the school will open for the start of the 2025-'26 school year.