Irvine’s New Cadence Park School is District’s Fourth K-8 Campus

The new $44-million Cadence Park School, in Irvine, is the Irvine Unified School District’s (IUSD) 40th school and fourth K-8 campus. The art deco-inspired school was built to accommodate the growth of Orange County’s Great Park neighborhoods and has the capacity to serve up to 1,000 students. The 94,000-square-foot campus encompasses eight buildings on 13 acres and includes a gymnasium with an attached fitness lab as well as outdoor collaboration spaces for all grade levels. Classrooms for grades one through five will have direct access to interior collaboration spaces, and grades six through eight will have access to a quad with an outdoor amphitheater, small group instruction areas, space for outdoor science activities and a garden.

Cadence Park School

The school features an innovation lab with a maker’s space, video production room and flexible learning space with a roll-up door to accommodate a variety of lesson types. A library with a story-telling space will double as a small group work area. C.W. Driver Companies, a premier builder serving California since 1919, worked alongside PJHM Architects on the project.

“We have a long history partnering with IUSD on the construction of its elementary, middle and high school campuses, and are honored to once again work with a school district that is consistently ranked no. 1 in Orange County,” said Jonathan Keene, senior project manager at C.W. Driver Companies. “This new campus will provide a state-of-the-art facility for the Great Park Neighborhoods’ growing population and add to IUSD’s impressive roster of forward-thinking learning environments.”

Featured

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Beyond Four Walls

    Operable glass walls provide a dynamic solution for educational spaces. They align with today’s evolving teaching methods and adapt to the needs of modern learners. Beyond the functional versatility, movable glass walls offer clean, contemporary aesthetics, slim and unobtrusive profiles, and versatile configurations that cater to the evolving needs of students and educators alike.

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.