New Bancroft elementary school for special-needs students gets OK from Mount Laurel planning board.

The Mount Laurel planning board on Thursday approved nonprofit Bancroft NeuroHealth's plan to build a private elementary school for 160 students on its campus.

Children with autism and developmental disabilities will attend the two-story, 55,205-square-foot school when it opens in 2028.

An estimated 188 staff members will work with the children, who will be between 3 and 11 years old, according to Bancroft's plans. The staff is larger than the expected enrollment because of the needs of the students, according to Bancroft.

The school's preliminary and final major site plan was approved for former agricultural land that now is a lawn on the southeast part of the Welsh Campus, according to the application.  

Bancroft's overall 80-acre Mount Laurel campus was approved by the planning board in 2016.

A possible additional future expansion on the southwest part of the property is mentioned in the elementary school documents, but details were not provided.