New Liberty Middle School Breaks Ground in Little Ferry

Little Ferry, NJ – May 30, 2025 – A ceremonial groundbreaking was held this past weekend in order to commemorate the start of construction on Little Ferry’s new middle school – aptly named the Liberty Middle School for its location on Liberty Street. Designed by RSC Architects, the 65,000 s.f., three-story new educational facility will replace the Borough’s former Washington Elementary School, a 110-year-old structure that had reached its potential in terms of serving the local community.

The legacy of the Washington School will be memorialized in a variety of ways, with the cornerstone of the century-old facility serving as the cornerstone of the new school, complete with a plaque to commemorate its history and the contents of a recently-discovered time capsule on display.

““Groundbreakings are important moments to pause and recognize the good work of Boards of Education and communities,” noted Ralph Walker, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Principal of RSC Architects, in his groundbreaking speech.

“RSC has had the honor of working with the Little Ferry Board of Education and the larger Little Ferry community for more than a decade, which has allowed us to follow through on years of planning and design work for the new Liberty Middle School. I’m so excited this day has finally come.”

The new Liberty Middle School is the outcome of a successfully passed referendum that RSC coordinated with the District, and will serve approximately 250-300 sixth through eighth grade students within collaborative, general, specialized, and hands-on learning environments. Additional funding has been secured in order to alleviate tax impacts on the Borough’s residents.

John P. Capazzi, AIA, President of RSC Architects, also remarked that “our team of architects, designers, and engineers worked vigorously to deliver a design that meets the needs of the District, and is both exciting and cost-effective. This safe educational environment will also be flexible enough to adapt to the continuous delivery of new educational programming and the ongoing growth of the Little Ferry community.”

The groundbreaking of the new school coincides with the end of the school year, with construction activities ramping up over the summer. The Liberty Middle School is slated for completion and occupancy in early 2027, at which time students will transition from the nearby Memorial School and modular classrooms to the new facility.

As Ralph concluded in his speech, “This school will not only be a beacon marking the Board’s good work – it will also serve as a safe harbor for the children of Little Ferry. A place of imagination and inspiration, and a springboard for their futures. That is a gift that cannot be overstated.”