WORCESTER, Mass. - City leaders in Worcester toured the new Doherty Memorial High School, just months ahead of its expected opening, and Spectrum News 1 also got an inside look.

Worcester Mayor Joe Petty said the project is roughly two months from being completed, and will be ready for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. The city broke ground on the project in November 2021, and currently has a budget of more than $300 million for the school.

The new Doherty will be a more than 420,000 square foot building, featuring multi-use athletic fields and energy-efficient infrastructure. The school will accommodate more than 1,600 students, who will have opportunities in STEM and hands-on technical learning programs like engineering, robotics and construction craft labor. 

"It was exciting," Petty said after the tour. "You see the classrooms and the technology in each of the classrooms. The air exchange, how it's going to be healthy for kids when they go in there. They're going to have technology set up so if somebody has trouble speaking, a speaking issue or if they have an operation, they can wire themselves and actually speak through the system. I think it's going to be pretty interesting."

The auditorium will be able to sit roughly 800 people. Petty said the project is still on time, and is an important part of keeping people in the city. The old building is set for demolition in the coming months.

The mayor joked the work is far from finished regarding new schools, as funding for a Burncoat High School was approved by the MSBA last year.