New $62M high school, Yankee Road connector transforming Monroe Schools' main campus

Michael D. Clark | Journal-News

Progress continues on two of the most impactful projects in the history of Monroe Schools’ main campus transforming the school grounds with a new high school and a second roadway entrance both sought by district officials for years.

Foundational work on a new $62 million Monroe High School is on schedule as construction crews take advantage of dry weather while re-shaping the southeast acreage of Monroe’s main 2-12 campus on Yankee Road.

But a smaller construction project will ultimately impact more Monroe school families and residents, as work continues to add another Yankee Road connector that would supplement the campus’ two decades old access problem of having only a single traffic route to and from its hilltop campus.

For the fast-growing Monroe Schools, another campus access solves many problems, said Monroe Schools Superintendent Robert Buskirk.

“The second access drive connecting our main campus directly to Yankee Road is truly a long-awaited milestone,” said Buskirk.

“This project has required a tremendous amount of collaboration, planning, and hard work alongside our partners with the City of Monroe, Butler County, and ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) and this improvement has been highly anticipated by our entire school community.”

Buskirk said the second drive, which runs uphill from Yankee Road to the northwest corner of campus into what is now a portion of the 2-12 school’s parking lot, “will be a huge asset to the main school campus.”

Historically, having limited ingress and egress points has created significant bottlenecks during peak school times of bus and student drop off traffic, Friday night football games and other school events.

The new Yankee Road connector is scheduled to open in spring 2027.

Moreover, Monroe’s student enrollment continues to increase in recent years and was one of major motivations for building a new high school, which is scheduled to open by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.

The district’s aging primary school at 225 Macready Road, which was opened in the 1950s, will eventually be closed, with its pre-K, kindergarten and first grade enrollment moved into some of the learning spaces of the Yankee Road 2-12 campus when grades 9-12 are relocated to the new high school in August 2028.

Monroe Schools have more than doubled enrollment to 2,850 students since the current 2-12 school building opened in 2004.

“There is a wonderful sense of pride and anticipation building across our entire district,” Buskirk said of the two projects.

“Watching the physical landscape of our main campus evolve month by month is a visible reminder of our community’s commitment to our students’ future. The new high school and roadway infrastructure represent a major step forward for Monroe Local Schools, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact these improvements will have for generations to come.”