Fall Mountain recommends closing vacant North Walpole School

The vote followed months of debate over what to do with the property, which has sat empty since earlier this year.

The future of the North Walpole School will go before Walpole voters in March after the Fall Mountain Regional School Board unanimously backed closing the building and turning it back over to the town.

The vote followed months of debate over what to do with the Cray Road property, which has sat empty since students were moved to Walpole Elementary School earlier this year. That consolidation was part of the district’s effort to deal with a $550,000 budget shortfall that emerged after voters rejected the district budget in March.

At Monday’s meeting, Senior Educational Officer Chris Young said keeping the building operating through the year costs about $45,000. He also said the district no longer sees the school as a practical site for central offices, a use that had previously been discussed after the budget failure.

That idea would have required extensive and costly work, including asbestos removal, new fire alarm panels and sprinkler upgrades. Young said the district quickly concluded the renovation and move were not realistic.

The board had already reviewed a list of possible uses for the building in June. Those options included selling it, keeping it for community purposes, relocating N.H. School Administrative Unit 60 offices there, or leasing it to a charter school or another outside program.

Other possibilities were also examined and rejected. Young said there are no nearby charter schools looking for space, and the building would not work for summer programs because those programs are meant to prepare students for the schools they will attend in the fall. He also said the site cannot host Title I-funded programs because it is not a Title I school.

Under federal Title I rules, schools serving students from lower-income families can receive extra aid.

The board’s action now heads to Walpole voters for approval in March. If residents agree, town officials plan to speak with the North Walpole Village Commissioners about potential uses for the property, according to Walpole selectboard member Steve Dalessio.

The issue has drawn concern from some residents, who argued earlier this year that the school was effectively being shut down without a district-wide vote. More than 85 people signed a petition opposing the closure.

The broader consolidation effort has been contentious across Fall Mountain, which also serves Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown and Langdon. At a public hearing last month, some residents criticized the board’s handling of the North Walpole property. Chair Alissa Bascom said the district’s agreement allows the board to shift grade levels within the district, but bars it from closing an elementary school without voter approval.

North Walpole School enrolled 76 students in grades two, three and four at the start of the 2025-26 school year, according to N.H. Department of Education data.