The $2 million land purchase by Yorkville School District 115 is taking another step toward becoming the site of a new middle school and maybe an elementary school as well.

The district purchased the near 106 acre farmland property from the Conover family back in June. The property is located about a quarter-mile west of the current high school campus, north of River Road.

The district filed an application with the city of Yorkville to annex and rezone the property. The district is also requesting to rezone 45 acres of land it already owns on the high school property behind the current baseball and softball fields.

The first public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 13 at City Hall. The requests are also being discussed at the Jan 14 planning and zoning commission at City Hall.

Both properties will need to be rezoned from single family suburban residence to “public institutional district” to enable the construction of public school facilities.

The new 106 acre property opens up possibilities to address the district’s overcrowding issues, Heather DiVerde, executive director of facility operations, said.

“Right now we are proposing to have our new middle school built there, when we go to referendum that will be on it,” DiVerde said. “Because it’s 106 acres, we could possibly put multiple schools on that site. If approved, it could also be the site for a new elementary school as well. Right now, we’re just proposing to have the middle school there.”

The district is seeking to expand because student enrollment has tripled in the past two decades, with another 800 students expected to be added to the already squeezed classrooms.

To provide greater classroom and recreational activity space for the students, the district is gathering public feedback on four potential facility master plan upgrades. Th board is crafting the referendum language in November with the intention of placing the referendum on the March 17, 2026 primary election ballot.

Whatever the voters decide, construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2026. The four options range from no-tax increase plans for about $160 million to tax-increasing options ranging from $266-281 million.

All four plans involve constructing a new middle school on the 106 acre property. The no-tax increase options have that slated for around $95 million, while the tax-increase options have larger footprints at $107 million.

The more expensive plans also propose a more than $46 million elementary school and expansions at the high school. An athletic field house and performing arts center is also proposed. If the high school is expanded, all the freshmen at the academy would be moved into the larger high school building.

Superintendent Matt Zediker previously said the district’s purchase of the 106 acre property will help transform the land into a resource for the community.

“The purchase of the land was a key move by the board, allowing us to plan and have options to address the issues we have of our facilities supporting the community’s growth,” Zediker said. “This also provides extra spaces for high-quality staff. I think it’s going to be a win-win for the students, staff and the community.”

DiVerde said the district does not have any current plans to build on the 45 acre property adjacent to the high school, but the district wants all of their owned property zoned the same for any potential future plans.