Texas District Breaks Ground on $140M Replacement High School

The Waco Independent School District in Waco, Texas, recently broke ground on a replacement facility for Waco High School. The new school will cover 350,000 square feet and comes with a price tag of $140 million, according to a district news release. The new building will have a capacity of 2,150 and is scheduled to open in time for the beginning of the 2025–26 school year.

Funding for the school comes from a $355-million bond that voters approved in 2021. The bond will be used to build replacement facilities for Waco High School, G.W. Carver Middle School, Tennyson Middle School, and Kendrick Elementary School, as well as renovations to South Waco Elementary. The construction of Waco High School comes with a Guaranteed Maximum Price approved by the school board of $140.5 million.

The existing Waco High School was built in 1961. The new facility will feature open spaces and glass walls between classrooms for observation, according to local news.

“Breaking ground on the new Waco High School is the latest but certainly not the last chapter in a story of a community coming together to do big things,” said Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon. “When we come together, we can literally build the future.”

The district partnered with architect O’Connell Robertson for the new building’s design and project manager Rogers-O’Brien for construction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.