Santa Maria-Bonita Elementary Celebrates Construction Milestone

Santa Maria-Bonita School District celebrated a major construction milestone of its newest elementary school on Sept. 26. The California school district celebrated the project’s topping out by signing the final beam before it was lifted and installed at the top of the structure.

The two-story, $51 million school was designed by DLR Group and constructed by AMG & Associates. When completed in August 2020, it’s expected to accommodate up to 900 students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

The 66,000 square-foot campus will feature 26 classrooms, a space for students enrolled in the district’s Therapeutic Learning Program, administrative offices, a multipurpose cafeteria/auditorium and play-fields.

"This is a unique design," Superintendent Luke Ontiveros told a local news station. "It really is built around 21st century skills, collaboration, communication, creativity. There's some learning areas outside of the traditional classrooms that we'll be able to maximize and take advantage. Besides the two-story design, it's really that programmatic piece that we'll be able to implement that really is going to make a difference in the futures of our children."

 The 66,000 square-foot campus will feature 26 classrooms, a space for students enrolled in the district’s Therapeutic Learning Program, administrative offices, a multipurpose cafeteria/auditorium and play-fields.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.