PARIS — The Oxford Hills Middle School Building Committee has decided on a site for a new building, but an announcement is pending as the process plays out, Maine School Administrative District 17 Superintendent Heather Manchester said recently.

“We have our final choice but are still navigating the steps,” she said. “We’ve gone from nine possibilities down to one.”

While the selection process is confidential, the Maine Department of Education mandates it consider the current location.

Because of the number of students in the seventh and eighth grades, two campuses were created years ago: the North Campus on Pine Street in Paris and the South Campus on Madison Avenue in Oxford.

The new school will include sixth graders.

The eight-town district is also researching sites for a new elementary school t0 accommodate between 450 and 500 students from Harrison, Norway and Waterford schools.

Besides requiring an area that can handle that number, the location must include a transportation system that ensures reasonable bus commutes for the youngest students and those from communities other than Harrison, Norway and Waterford who may attend the school for special services.

Guy E. Rowe Elementary School on Main Street in Norway has 422 students, but its small lot size, traffic congestion and distance from Harrison and Waterford are a few factors that make it a poor choice. The area west of Norway village, especially surrounding Harrison Road, is seen as the most feasible location.

Site research and selection will take months and include input and feedback from the Maine Department of Education.

“We haven’t looked at any specific sites yet, but we’ve given the architects and their Geographic Information System team orders on where we’re looking,” Manchester said.

The criteria for selecting a school building site are driven by state requirements and cost considerations. Other agencies — the departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection — must be involved.

“It’s a rigorous process, but we can consider lots of different things,” Manchester said. “We create a matrix that looks at things like traffic, the availability of three-phase power, and public water and sewer utilities. And they all have to be weighed against the costs.”

“It’s not as simple as finding a nice piece of land,” she said. “There is a lot that goes into it and a lot that can affect it.”

There are public hearings and straw polls for both projects before the DOE makes its decisions on sites.

Following that, public hearings for education concepts and building designs will be held. Eventually, a districtwide vote will be scheduled by the fall.