Is Sandy Hook Elementary School Still Open?

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and gun violence. Reader discretion is advised.

In December 2012, a young man named Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire on teachers and students. Reports indicate that 26 people died in the shooting, and two people were injured. Furthermore, media outlets revealed that twenty children lost their lives in the shooting incident. After wreaking havoc for several minutes, Lanza committed suicide after authorities got inside the school premises. The incident forced the school’s management to move students to a temporary location. However, the Sandy Hook Elementary School opened again as a new educational institution in 2016.

NBC Connecticut reported that people heard the first gunshots inside the school premises as children ran down the sidewalk to save themselves from the attack. Meanwhile, Newsweek stated Lanza entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School by destroying the locked security door. He subsequently killed the school principal and the psychologist before entering the classrooms. Although teachers tried to save the children by hiding them in the bathroom and blocking doors, Lanza shot his way through the doors and killed several children and teachers.

Three minutes after the shooting began, several police officers reached the school premises and surrounded the building. Per NBC Connecticut, police officers heard the final gunshot around 9:40 am, which turned out to be Adam Lanza’s self-inflicted fatal shot.

In the aftermath of the incident, The New York Times reported that the school management closed the school after the authorities labeled the building a “crime scene.” However, almost four years later, the management built a new building in the unused section of the school property. Additionally, the design of the new school bore no resemblance to the previous school building.

Was Sandy Hook Elementary School demolished & when?

NPR reported that the demolition of Sandy Hook Elementary School started in October 2013. According to the publication, the Newtown residents had a town-wide referendum in which they decided to construct a new school. Furthermore, they voted to accept $50 million from the state to destroy the building and build a new one. In 2016, the state completed the work on the new building.

On the other hand, in November 2022, the state of Newtown reportedly opened Sandy Hook Memorial to honor the memory of the people who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

A documentary titled Newtown was released in 2016. It unravels what actually happened on December 14, 2012. It can be streamed on TUBI. Currently, the documentary has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Aayush Sharma

Entertainment Journalist by profession and a complete cinephile, Aayush Sharma has been writing about Hollywood movies, US TV shows, True Crime and more from the last 7 years. Previously, he has worked for reputed media outlets such as ANI, International Business Times, and MEA Worldwide.