Five schools will open in 2027 in the new cities of Songdo, Cheongna, and Geomdan in Incheon. On the 1st, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education announced that all five proposals for new elementary, middle, and high schools were approved at the Ministry of Education's Central Investment Review, which recently deliberated on the establishment of new schools.
The approved schools are Ara 3 Middle School and Cheomdan 1 High School in Songdo International City, Okryeon 1 Elementary School in the Songdo Station Area Development District, Geomdan 3 High School in Geomdan New City, and Cheongna 4 High School in Cheongna International City. All these schools are scheduled to open around March 2027.
Among them, Ara 3 Middle School and Cheomdan 1 High School were approved with conditions to report on school establishment plans within the development district or to review joint school district operation plans. Okryeon 1 Elementary School was also approved on the premise that measures to address the downsizing of nearby schools must be established.
With this approval from the Ministry of Education, Songdo and Cheongna International Cities will have high schools opening for the first time in 14 years since the last high school opened in 2013. Above all, the establishment of three new high schools within the new cities is expected to resolve issues related to long-distance commuting and school overcrowding. Additionally, the first middle school in Songdo District 11 will be established, and a safe commuting environment for elementary students in the Songdo Station Area will be secured.
The Metropolitan Office of Education explained that to minimize long-distance assignments, they completed the adjustment of high school districts into six school groups for the first time in 17 years since the formation of three school groups in 2006, and actively emphasized the necessity of establishing new schools to ensure safe commuting conditions within the development districts, which led to favorable results in this review.
An official from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "The approval from the Central Investment Review is significant in improving long-distance commuting within school districts and reducing educational disparities," adding, "Going forward, it will be possible to secure safe commuting conditions and stable student placement for elementary and middle school students in the development areas."
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