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

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Building Beyond Simulation: Creating Immersive Ecosystems for Healthcare Education

    Health sciences education is one of the fastest-growing facility types in colleges and universities. The demand for medical, nursing, and allied health professionals is driving the creation and renovation of medical simulation training facilities that provide students with real-world experience through advanced simulation-based learning.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.