Texas School District Breaks Ground on Seventh Elementary School

The Royse City Independent School District in Royse City, Texas, recently broke ground on the district’s seventh elementary school, according to a news release. The school will be named with community input later this year and was part of a bond from May 2021. The district partnered with VLK Architects for the school’s design.

The news release reports that the school’s design is a prototype that VLK designed for the Ruth Cherry Elementary School replacement campus that opened last fall. Amenities include a modern library, updated finishes, and an angled climbing surface with a small, built-in slide. The building will host students in grades K–2 on the first floor and students in grades 3–5 on the second floor.

“VLK was honored to take part in the groundbreaking for the next Royse City ISD elementary school alongside community members, district representatives, and Northstar Builders,” said VLK Architects Principal Ross Rivers. “As a result of the strong partnership between RCISD, VLK, and Northstar, this new facility is another step in accommodating the growth and continued success of the Royse City Independent School District.”

The campus is scheduled to open its doors to students in August 2024.

“We are proud to break ground on our seventh elementary school,” said Royse City ISD Superintendent Kevin Worthy at the groundbreaking ceremony. “As a fast-growth school district, our partnership with VLK Architects is greatly valued. We’re able to collaborate on what is best for our community, students, and staff. We look forward to naming this new school over the summer, and we anticipate a beautiful space that invites learning, friendships, and lifelong memories.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).