Project Updates

December 2025:

• Structural & Exterior Progress: The building’s steel frame has reached its highest point in new sections, and roof installation is expanding across the site to seal the building from the elements.
• Facade & Finishing Touches: Modern metal panels and brickwork are now being installed on several exterior walls, including the inner courtyard areas.
• Interior Preparation: Major progress was made on the "bones" of the building, with fireproofing applied to the lower levels and interior wall framing now underway.
• Utility & Pipe Work: Crews are heavily focused on "roughing-in" the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (the hidden wiring and pipes) across most of the facility.
• Roads & Fields: The bus loop is taking shape with new concrete curbs and gutters installed, while the ground is being leveled and prepared for the first layer of asphalt paving.

November 2025:

• Building Framework Milestones: The structural steel and concrete floors are now finished in the first section of the building, while the steel frame for the third floor is successfully in place in other areas.
• Exterior Weatherproofing: Workers have completed the roof and window installations for a large portion of the site, and the brick exterior on the west side is nearly finished.
• Interior Utilities & Systems: Major electrical equipment has been delivered and installed, and crews have begun running the necessary mechanical piping throughout the building.
• Interior Finishing: Painting has officially begun in the "back of house" service rooms, marking a transition toward interior completion.
• Site Drainage & Infrastructure: Significant underground work was completed, including the installation and water-testing of large storm-water management structures and over 300 feet of new drainage piping under the athletic fields.

Northwood Project Schedule

• Spring 2019: Design commencement
• Fall 2023: Northwood students and staff relocate to holding facility
• Fall 2024: Construction begins at Northwood HS
• Fall 2027: Northwood students and staff move-in to new facility

Common Questions from the Community

• How will the holding facility accommodate current program requirements?
• How will MCPS and public transportation support the needs of students and families?
• What services will relocate to the holding facility, and what services will relocate to a different facility near Northwood HS (i.e. the Wellness Center, Saturday School)?
• When will logistics be determined for after-school events? Requested information includes location, transportation, and schedule for athletic games and practices, plays/performances, after-school academics, and school club meetings.

Holding Facility Information

• Once constructed, the Woodward High School building will serve initially as the holding facility for Northwood High School.
• The building will be constructed in phases, and the first phase does not include an auditorium or stadium field.
• The phase 2 work will be constructed while Northwood High School is housed at the school to allow for the reopening of Woodward High School for the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
• This project is expected to break-ground during the Winter of 2021.

Next Steps

• Continue community discussions for feedback related to the Northwood High School Replacement Project.
• Schedule community and staff meetings to review specific holding facility concerns and reviews ways to develop operations plans that will minimize impacts on the school community.
• Schedule community and staff meetings to review transportation challenges during the two-year holding facility period.
• Develop a communications plan to engage elementary and middle school families that may be impacted by this project.

Project Objectives

Design Facts

• Options that range from complete demolition of existing Northwood to concepts that may preserve some existing spaces have been explored.
• Initial concept development results show complete demolition of the existing building as the preferred and fiscally prudent option.
• Previous infrastructure investments in utilities and stormwater management will be preserved to the maximum extent practicable.