Closed Schools Program

The reuse, adaptation and management of closed schools has been an active program for the County's real estate staff since the early 1970s. Changing County demographics in the decades of the 70s and 80s resulted in the closure of more than 50 schools County-wide. When the Montgomery County Board of Education makes a decision to close a school, the County Government's Real Estate Office is charged with the responsibility of managing and finding an alternate productive reuse for the property.

Due to the age of many of the closed schools, the program presents a significant challenge in that most of the properties are in need of funding for renovations, and often need to be brought into compliance with the latest codes and building regulations.

Since the beginning of the program, the County Government has successfully converted many of these closed schools into vibrant and productive facilities, including Senior Centers, Recreation and Community Centers, County offices, Health Centers, Child Care and other community-based service facilities. Others have been leased to private schools and non-profit organizations to generate revenues for the County, and to save the taxpayer the funding needed to upgrade and maintain the buildings. Click on this LINK to get a list of closed schools leased to private organizations and their contact information. Occasionally, these tenants have space available to sublease. You may contact them directly to inquire.

In order to arrive at decisions on the reuse of the schools, the County has adopted a unique and proactive approach to the process. COMCOR Chapter 11B Section 45.02, entitled Reuse, Leasing and Sale of Closed Schools provides the framework by which the best and most appropriate reuse is determined and implemented for these facilities. This is a comprehensive process that can take anywhere from eighteen to twenty-four months to complete.