What You Need to Know��

• Elwyn held a groundbreaking Feb. 6 for a new school on its Media, Pa., campus as part of its master campus plan.��

• The facility is expected to be completed in August 2027, with plans to welcome students in fall 2027.��

• Elwyn said the school will support two curriculum tracks, including programming for students with complex behavioral needs and for students working toward greater independence.��

• Elwyn has��allocated��$45 million for construction and design, with financing provided by KeyBank.��

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MEDIA, Pa. —��Elwyn, a nonprofit human services organization, has launched construction on a new school intended to reshape the organization’s educational and therapeutic space for children with disabilities.��

The organization marked the start of work Feb. 6 with a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by elected officials, community partners,��staff��and students.��

The project��marks a milestone in��Elwyn’s��master campus plan, with the organization approaching its 175th anniversary next year.��

“As we look ahead to our 175th anniversary, it’s thrilling to break ground on the New Elwyn School,” said Charles S. McLister, Elwyn president and CEO, according to��. “This project will set an example of what the future of education can look like for children and adults with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities.”��

, a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm, is pleased to announce the groundbreaking of the new��, a $45 million, 80,000-square-foot PreK–12 facility��located��at the heart of Elwyn’s 260-acre historic campus in Media, Pennsylvania. The new school is the first phase of Elwyn’s $100 million redevelopment plans for the campus.��

Designed in collaboration with Elwyn and an integrated design-build team, the new school will serve 260 students across two curriculum tracks: those with complex needs requiring intensive clinical support with onsite residential care and those building toward greater independence.����

“This project is about more than designing a school building; it’s about reimagining what a learning environment can do for students who have traditionally been underserved by conventional design,” said��Mayva��Donnon, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Partner at KSS Architects. “Every design decision is rooted in how��the space��will support students’ growth and independence. KSS is honored to partner with Elwyn by designing a campus that will champion inclusion and innovation for future generations.”����

The building is organized into learning neighborhoods that scale the environment to the individual student experience, offering calming, supportive spaces with direct views of nature using materials drawn from the character of Elwyn’s historic rural campus. A universal design framework rooted in neurodiversity informs every aspect of the plan, from intuitive wayfinding and biophilic design features to restorative spaces and integrated assistive technology. This approach fosters independence, wellness, and a genuine connection to place.��

Sensory rooms, decompression areas, and life skills kitchens complement classrooms and therapy spaces. Specialty program spaces, including music, art, a career discovery lab, and a gymnasium, support holistic student development. The result is a school that is both clinically informed and design-forward: a place where every detail, from the layout of a classroom to the materials on the walls, is grounded in how the space will help students feel, function, and thrive.��

Elwyn has��allocated��$45 million for the new school’s construction and design, with KeyBank providing financing. Elwyn also��identified��Haverford Development Partners as development and construction partner, with Haverford and North Star Construction slated to build the school.��The building is��anticipated��to be completed in August 2027, with plans to welcome students in fall 2027.��

This article is based on reporting originally published by Elwyn on Feb. 6, 2026.��

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The goal of the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System is to create campus incentives for sustainable improvements, enable comparisons and collaborations with sustainability practices using a common set of measurements, and build stronger campuses united in sustainability efforts.

The three-year program is available to all colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Several institutions, including American University, Carnegie Mellon University, Unity College and the University of Denver, have signed on.

AASHE began working to create a unified campus sustainability rating system with nonprofits and higher education associations three years ago. Nearly 70 institutions participated in the year-long pilot program, which combined suggestions and advice from school committees around the country into STARS 1.0.

The program is unique in that it assesses social indicators of institutions as well as environmental and profit factors, according to AASHE. The program includes credits for environmental, social and economic performance.

“STARS offers a comprehensive roadmap and review approach that guides and affirms sustainability in all of its facets,” says Dave Newport, director of the Environmental Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “STARS helps campus users plan actions and forecast achievements. STARS’s comprehensive design informs an approach to sustainability with the flexibility each campus needs to tailor activities to unique local conditions and context.”

The system requires reporting in three categories: education and research, including academic work toward sustainability programs; operations, including building design and operations and on-campus greenhouse gas emission reductions; and planning, including campus diversity, sustainable campus practices and public engagement.

“By framing sustainability in this way, STARS will require many individuals on a campus to come together to develop an understanding of how well the campus is doing and what else needs to be done,” says Paul Rowland, executive director of AASHE. “For many campuses, it will require greater collaboration within the campus.”

The STARS sustainability tracking assessment rating system monitors progress over time, taking a snapshot of practices to find strengths and areas that need more effort, while rewarding institutions for good work and encouraging and challenging them to move forward.

Institutions complete specific reporting fields to demonstrate that they’ve earned STARS credits, submitting facts and data through an online reporting tool. Universities and colleges are given a variety of rating levels depending on their proficiency, including STARS Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and STARS Reporter for institutions that don’t want to be rated.

The STARS registration fee is $900 for AASHE members or $1,400 for non-members. The tool is also available for free, without technical support.

At Middlebury College, the STARS pilot program, helped the institution build a reputation as a key player in sustainable efforts, says Nan Jenks-Jay, dean of environmental affairs. In turn, Middlebury College was approached by entrepreneurs, businesses and individuals wishing to invest in the school, which supplied the college with funding for a variety of sustainability projects and initiatives.

For more information on STARS: 

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