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

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

  • 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.

Digital Edition