CMSD Puts 12 School Properties on the Market for Redevelopment

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The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and the City of Cleveland are offering up to buyers and developers 12 school properties for redevelopment, with a few surprises on the list. They include two school buildings built in the last 20 years and several historic, iconic structures.

The dozen school facilities were deemed surplus as a result of dwindling enrollment and CMSD’s Building Brighter Futures plan which the school board adopted in December 2025. It is projected to save the school district $30 million per year.

Cleveland has proven adept at repurposing closed schools, according to RentCafe.com. This is the second wave of schools to be offered up for redevelopment in the last five years.

On May 26, the city’s Department of Development issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) from prospective development teams seeking to repurpose the facilities. The city hopes to select buyers-developers by Aug. 7.

The 12 schools are Adlai Stevenson (3.4 acres), Alfred A. Benesch (3.4 acres), Bolton (2.3 acres), Collinwood (5.4 acres), Dike School of the Arts (1.9 acres), Hannah Gibbons-Nottingham (3.2 acres), Kenneth Clement Boys’ Leadership Academy (3.4 acres), Louisa May Alcott (1.9 acres), Mary Church Terrell (3 acres), Michael R. White (6.6 acres), Charles A. Mooney (4.6 acres), and Tremont Montessori (2.8 acres).

Perhaps the most iconic of these is Collinwood High School, a huge, 345,203-square-foot building on St. Clair Avenue and Ivanhoe Road at East 152nd Street. Most of it was constructed in 1924 around South High School that was dedicated in 1907, the same year as the Lakeview School fire in Collinwood which took the lives of 172 students and two teachers.

Collinwood High School, a city-designated landmark, closed last week, officially ending operations after its final graduation ceremony on May 22. Students will be merged into Glenville High School starting this Fall.

The school district is planning to build a new high school for Collinwood and Glenville students by 2031 on the current Glenville High School campus, 650 E. 113th St.

While most of the school buildings that are being closed and offered for redevelopment date from the 1970s, there are some notable exceptions. The newest is Adlai Stevenson School, 18299 Woda Dr., in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood. The PreK-8 school was built in 2009.

The next newest is Hannah Gibbons-Nottingham School, 1401 Larchmont Road. in Collinwood. This PreK-8 school was built in 2006. However, the 55-year-old Louisa May Alcott K-5 school, 10308 Baltic Road in the Edgewater neighborhood, was thoroughly renovated more recently in 2013.

At the other end of the age scale are two other historic schools, in addition to Collinwood High School. The PreK-8 Mary Church Terrell School, 3595 Bosworth Road, in the West Boulevard neighborhood, was built in 1929.

And the Michael R. White School, 1000 E. 92nd St. in Glenville, dates to 1921. Measuring 6.7 acres, its campus is part of the largest property of the 12 schools being made available for redevelopment.

“Building on the community engagement completed in February 2026, this RFQ seeks to proactively position these school sites for redevelopment to ensure these buildings continue to serve as meaningful assets to their neighborhoods,” said Joevrose Bourdeau Small, director of economic development for the city, in a written statement.

“This RFQ is an opportunity for the city to move quickly and intentionally to pursue redevelopment of former school buildings, an opportunity that has historically gone underutilized,” she added.

The 12 school buildings included in this RFQ are located across the city and span eight of the 15 City Council wards: Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12. The city and school district called this an opportunity to position large parts of the city to receive new investment and long-term commitments that benefit Cleveland residents.

“The diverse sites included in this request for qualifications are part of our community’s history, and we can honor that history through thoughtful redevelopment,” said Michele Pomerantz, the city’s chief of education.

“It is essential that these former school buildings remain neighborhood assets, and all redevelopment plans should reflect the community’s outlined future uses to best serve residents,” Pomerantz explained.

This RFQ seeks qualified professional developers to lead the redevelopment of these buildings, with opportunities for community organizations and local businesses to partner with development teams to create neighborhood assets with broad, lasting impact.

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