Taunton Votes to Move Parker Middle School, Expand High School Campus

On Thursday, Dec. 18, the Taunton School Committee voted 7-0 to relocate Parker Middle School to the former Coyle and Cassidy building at 2 Hamilton St. Parker's former space will be used by Taunton High School.

The Dec. 18 decision came after several months of discussion about whether Taunton Public Schools should build either a new middle school or an eighth-grade academy at the former Catholic school. Eighth-grade students attend Taunton High School, and Parker Middle School is located within the same building as the high school.

Renovations are underway at the former Coyle and Cassidy building after the city acquired the site for the school department. It previously housed a Catholic school that closed in 2020 and now hosts Bristol Community College's Taunton campus.

Taunton Public Schools currently serves Parker, Friedman, and Martin middle schools for grades 5-7.

In a previous interview with the Taunton Daily Gazette, Superintendent John Cabral noted that students prefer eighth-graders to remain in the high school.

"The students who participated in our survey, they feel the eighth grade should be part of the high school. That came out loud and clear," Cabral said in a statement shared with the Taunton Daily Gazette. "It's not going to be an easy decision. There's also a financial component. So we need to make sure that whatever we do is fiscally responsible and is something that can be sustained long term."

Officials also said that expanding the high school and relocating Parker Middle School would be more fiscally sustainable than creating a fourth middle school, given budget constraints and potential resource impacts for students.

The renovation timeline targets the Coyle and Cassidy building's readiness for the start of the 2026 school year. Completing the work, including new windows, however, may not be guaranteed by the beginning of the next school year.