The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education has secured Ministry of Education approval for all three new schools it proposed to address rising student enrollment in the Geomdan new town and Songdo International City.
The education office announced Wednesday that the Ministry of Education's third central investment review of 2026 granted full approval to plans for three new schools: the tentatively named Geomdan Middle School No. 5, Geomdan Kindergarten No. 9 and Songdo Ara Elementary School No. 1.
The approvals are expected to help the education office get ahead of surging student numbers driven by large-scale apartment move-ins in Geomdan and Songdo, while also accelerating efforts to ease overcrowding at existing schools.
Separately, the tentatively named Geomdan Elementary School No. 10, which had previously received conditional approval, was also recognized as suitable for opening, giving the Geomdan school construction drive additional momentum.
Geomdan Middle School No. 5 will be the new town's third middle school. It will be built in the Bullo-dong area of Geomdan-gu with 40 classes, including one special-education class, and is targeted to open in March 2030.
The school is expected to accommodate roughly 1,100 additional middle school students generated by the move-in of about 10,000 households, relieving overcrowding at nearby schools and enabling a more balanced distribution of students across the school zone.
Early childhood education capacity will also expand. Geomdan Kindergarten No. 9 will be built as a standalone kindergarten in the Majeon-dong area of Geomdan-gu with 15 classes in total — 12 general and three special-education.
Located near Geomdan Elementary School No. 10 and Geomdan Middle School No. 5, it is also targeted to open in March 2030.
The education office plans to time the kindergarten's opening to coincide with those of the elementary and middle schools, addressing a shortage of kindergarten places in the Geomdan housing development district.
In Songdo International City, Songdo Ara Elementary School No. 1 will be built in the Songdo-dong area of Yeonsu-gu with 41 classes, including an attached kindergarten, and is likewise targeted to open in March 2030.
Songdo's Zone 11 is being developed across five sub-areas on a phased schedule, and the education office is establishing schools in sequence to align with apartment move-in timelines.
Songdo Ara Elementary School No. 1 will be the second elementary school within Zone 11 and is expected to play a key role in ensuring stable student placement and improving the educational environment for incoming residents.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
