Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Houston-Area District Opens STEM Magnet Academy

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/13/21

The Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD), located near Houston, Texas, recently opened a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Magnet Academy. The $2.8-million facility is the first of its kind in Fort Bend County, and it can accommodate almost 200 students in grades 3–8. According to a press release, the school’s curriculum will focus on 21st-century skills like medical technology, coding, robotics and more.

“The SMSD philosophy is ‘STEM to Learn, STEM to Earn,’ and it was really built and born here,” said SMSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Bostic. “Eight years ago, we started with incorporating robotics, drones SWIFT coding, and gaming into our curriculum because we looked at the future outlook of where jobs would be. We came up with these plans—including our newest jewel, the STEM Magnet Academy. In its inaugural year, students are set up for success through project-based curriculum, partnerships, mentorships, and we’re also planning for international travel when it’s safe to do so. We are cutting and blazing a path that others have not done.”

Stafford MSD STEM Magnet Academy
Photo courtesy of Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN)

The new academy measures in at 67,000 square feet and features amenities like 32 classrooms, two science rooms, a gaming room, a medical and coding lab, a robotics lab and a reading room. It also includes breakout areas for collaboration and a learning staircase allowing two teachers to combine their classes and offer larger-group instructions.

“Unlike Career and Technical Education programs that are typically offered to high school students, this STEM Magnet Academy will prepare students to learn specialized skills like coding and robotics from an early age,” said Victor Fleming of Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), which served as the program manager for the bond program.

The facility was designed by AutoArch Architects and constructed by Jamail & Smith Construction. It was built as part of a $62-million bond program that passed in November 2017. The ultimate goal of the bond was to provide funds to address growth and expansion within SMSD, which enrolled about 3,600 students during the 2019-20 academic year. SMSD is the only municipal school district in Texas.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • 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.