The Hennigan Elementary School at 200 Heath St. will expand to a K-8 school in a phased process spanning several years, according to Boston Public Schools spokesperson Brian Ballou.
The Hennigan will add sixth grade for the 2014-2015 school year and then implement seventh and eighth grades for the 2016-2017 school year.
Ballou said with the new school-choice plan, which prioritizes neighborhood schools, BPS expects interest in attending the Hennigan to grow among local residents. There has also been a surge in enrollment for lower grades throughout the system, which the Hennigan expansion will help deal with, he said.
Ballou said BPS has allocated $31,000 for the fiscal year 2015 for the addition of the sixth grade, which will be for infrastructure, such as repairs, furniture and technology devices.
An expansion of the building itself will not be needed, he said. The staffing costs, which are not known, will be incorporated into the fiscal year 2015 budget planning process, according to Ballou.
The costs for adding the seventh and eighth grades have not been figured out yet.