Gazette: Avalon School Nixes Move to Clarksburg

Due to financial woes, The Avalon School will not move forward with plans to build a new campus in Clarksburg, school officials told The Gazette.

The Avalon School, a Catholic private school for boys, will continue to operate out of First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg.

In 2007, the school was granted a special exception to build on a 10-acre site on Frederick Road (Rt. 355). The site would have been composed of four buildings to accommodate 600 students, according to county planning records.

But a sharp drop in enrollment and the failure to secure a construction bond made it "impossible" to repay a $2.2 million loan, school president Richard McPherson reportedly told The Gazette.

Foreclosure proceedings were initiated in May 2011; properties were sold at auction for $1.2 million on March 23, 2012, The Gazette reports.

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Related content:

• Avalon School drops move to Clarksburg (The Gazette)
• The Avalon School (Gaithersburg Patch listing)