Building Descriptions

Colchester Elementary School

A 108,685 sq. ft. building and grounds located at 315 Halls Hill Road, the facility supports
programs for grades Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1, and 2. The building, located on 11
acres, was completed and opened in September of 2006 and can accommodate 833
students. In addition to 40 general classrooms there are special rooms for art, music,
computer education, special education, reading and mathematics. There is a full cafeteria
with a stage, a gymnasium used for physical education and Town recreation programs.
The outdoor play areas are used by school and Town programs. The instructional areas
are designed around a central library-media center. The school is equipped with the latest
in classroom technology and is designed following the latest research on educating young
children.


Jack Jackter Elementary School

This 118,000 sq. ft. facility located at 215 Halls Hill Road houses grades 3, 4 and 5. The
original building was constructed in 1966, had an addition in 1976, and a major renovation
was completed in 2005. The building sits on 18 acres and can accommodate 850
students. There are 40 general classrooms with specialty rooms for art, special education,
music, and computer education, as well as areas for large group and a gymnasium used
for physical education and Town recreation activities. Outdoor play areas and an athletic
field are also used for physical education and Town recreation. The center of the school is
a large library-media center. The school is equipped with the latest in classroom
technology and features a courtyard and area in which to display

William J. Johnston Middle School

William J. Johnston Middle School is a 135,200 sq. ft. facility located on 29 acres at 360
Norwich Avenue and is home to grades 6, 7 and 8. The oldest of our schools, the building
has gone through many changes since it was originally constructed in 1954.
Part of the present building was used for Bacon High School for approximately 30 years
as well as for the grade 4-5 Colchester Intermediate School. As presently constituted, the
student capacity is 1020. The facility contains 54 general classrooms as well as
specialized rooms for fine and applied arts, music, computer education, science
laboratories, and family and consumer sciences. Gymnasia and outdoor athletic facilities
are used for school programs and Town recreation activities. There is a full cafeteria and a
library-media center as well as a multi-purpose room. In addition to the middle school, the
facility houses the Pupil Services Department.


Bacon Academy

Bacon Academy opened in 1993 as a 192,564 sq. ft. comprehensive high school at 611
Norwich Avenue. This facility is the third in Colchester to be called Bacon Academy. The
capacity of the building in permanent space is 850 students. With the opening of
Colchester Elementary School in 2006, the high school added 4 portable classrooms
which are located on the property and had been used for the district’s Pre-Kindergarten
program. A total of 3,600 sq. ft. were added to the school at that time, as the high school
enrollment began to exceed the building capacity. In January of 2008, 8 additional rooms
were added with the completion of 8000 sq. ft. of portable classrooms. The school has 56
regular classrooms with special rooms for the fine and applied arts, technology education,
music, business education, science laboratories, computer education, technical and
career education and family and consumer sciences. There is a full
cafeteria. In addition, the school has an auditorium, gymnasium and athletic fields which
are used for Town as well as for school programs. A large library-media center is central
to the academic wing.


Maintenance Facility

The Maintenance Facility is located at 367 Halls Hill Road. Originally constructed in 1976,
it encompasses 7,000 sq. ft. and is located on the Colchester Elementary School property.
In 1982 half of the building was converted to Bacon Academy’s wood shop. In 1993 when
Bacon moved to its new home, the facility was used as a School Storage and Grounds
Maintenance Facility. In 2006 the facility was renovated as part of the Colchester
Elementary School project and now houses the Facilities Department. More than half of
the building serves as central storage for the district.