On June 12, 2025, Ashby (Mass.) Elementary School dismissed its students for summer vacation — but unlike any year before, this time, it was with no set return.
After more than 70 years serving the community, Ashby Elementary will not reopen in the fall. Following a 5–4 vote by the North Middlesex Regional School Committee, the building will go on a one-year “pause,” a term used by district officials to describe the removal of students and staff from the school with no confirmed plan for reopening.
The decision, while expected by some, still left many in Ashby stunned. Originally, the closure was approved, then rescinded to allow for the presentation of alternate budget options, and ultimately reinstated. The rapid back-and-forth process added to frustration and feelings of helplessness in the community.
To mark the final day, the Ashby Parent-Teacher Committee, along with support from community members, organized a clap out. Students from kindergarten through fourth grade exited the school through its front doors one last time. They walked down the steps and along the driveway toward waiting buses, as parents, staff, town officials, fire officials, and local residents clapped and cheered them on.
It was a moment of both celebration and sorrow — the kind of moment where a person could hear the pride in the applause, but also see the tears in people’s eyes.
Among those in attendance were members of the North Middlesex Regional School Committee, district administrators, members of the Ashby Select Board, fire and police personnel, and State Representative Margaret Scarsdale, whose district includes Ashby. The turnout reflected how deeply the school is woven into the fabric of the town.
“As any Ashby resident will tell you, Ashby Elementary isn’t just the town’s school, it is the town’s heart,” Scarsdale said. “I see that, I feel that, and I believe that — and it was certainly on full display on Thursday. I will continue to partner with the town to do all we can to ensure this one-year ‘pause’ is just that — a pause.”
There were no speeches, no final announcements. But there were moments. Principal Anne Cromwell-Gapp hugged two students through tears.
Students will be reassigned to Squannacook Early Childhood Center for kindergarten and first grade and to Spaulding Memorial School in Townsend for grades two through four. Some teachers have accepted reassignment within the district, while others chose to retire.
The building itself, which sits adjacent to the former Ashby High School (now Town Hall), may be used for other purposes during the pause, but will no longer host classes.
Ashby residents fear the closure may have long-term consequences on property values, family retention, and the town’s appeal to new residents.
“AES is the heart and soul of our town, and its closure, even temporarily, is a devastating blow to Ashby,” said resident June McNeil, who formerly represented Ashby on the North Middlesex School Committee. “I am heartbroken for our youngest students being shipped out of their familiar town on long bus rides, for our young families that invested in Ashby homes expecting to send their kids to a top school in the state, for our teachers and staff that made AES so special, and for longtime homeowners who will see their home values plummet.
“It is beyond frustrating that this detrimental closure was forced upon our town with absolutely no input from Ashby voters. We love AES, the hub of our community, and would have never chosen this.”
Select Board chair David Nadeau echoed those feelings, sharing his thoughts just before the event.
“Though the doors may be closing temporarily, the memories and the sense of community that Ashby Elementary created will live on in all of us,” he said. “It’s a reminder of how much we’ve built together and how important it is to keep supporting one another, even as we face change. Our town’s spirit is stronger than any building, and that spirit will carry us forward.”
Ashby Elementary opened in 1952. At one point, it even relied on a trailer behind the building to house an extra classroom. There is no confirmed timeline for revisiting the building’s future, but many in Ashby remain hopeful that this “pause” is temporary.
As the final school bus pulled away on June 12 and the last round of applause faded, Ashby Elementary stood silent. But the love for the school — and the memories it holds — continues to echo in the hearts of all who walked its halls.
–June 23, 2025–
