JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – The Jackson Township Board of Education has reportedly approved a $40 million bid from Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the world’s largest Orthodox Jewish yeshiva, to purchase the former Christa McAuliffe Middle School — a campus once recognized as one of the nation’s top learning institutions.
Named for American teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe, who perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the middle school was Jackson’s only Blue Ribbon–certified institution, a designation awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to exemplary schools nationwide.
The sale marks one of the largest property transactions in the district’s history. The 126,305-square-foot facility on South Hope Chapel Road includes five modular classrooms, athletic fields, administrative offices, and a full-service cafetorium. The $40 million sale price came after the district lowered its minimum bid from $54.4 million to $44.4 million in November following limited market interest.
District officials closed Christa McAuliffe Middle School earlier this year due to declining enrollment, reduced state aid, and ongoing budget shortfalls. They said selling surplus facilities was necessary to stabilize finances and reduce maintenance costs.
BMG, based in neighboring Lakewood, has not announced its plans for the property.
The institution, which enrolls thousands of students, has expanded rapidly as Lakewood’s Orthodox Jewish population has grown over the past decade. The school’s location—just minutes from the Lakewood border—made it a prime target for acquisition as families and educational institutions in the community seek additional space.
The transaction follows another sale earlier this year in which the Jackson School District sold the former Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School on Citadel Drive for $13.1 million to Bais Yaakov of Jackson, also known as Bais Faiga.
The sale of the Christa McAuliffe campus represents another step in the Jackson Board of Education’s ongoing effort to manage its shrinking student population and financial challenges while adapting to the region’s changing demographics.
Beth Medrash Govoha is located in a densley populated area of Lakewood.
Beth Medrash Govoha paid an undisclosed sum for 42 acres from Georgian Court University (GCU) in 2022, with GCU using the funds for major campus upgrades like a new nursing center, student center, and housing; BMG plans to build new housing on the land, easing Lakewood’s housing crunch.
McAuliffe Middle School sits on a 37.5 acre tract of land near the border between Lakewood and Jackson.