Texas K–12 District Breaks Ground on Tenth Elementary School

The Waxahachie Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony for the district’s tenth elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with VLK Architects on the project. Funding comes from a voter-approved bond from May 2023 that will also lead to the construction of a second facility, a replacement elementary school to meet the district’s recent enrollment growth.

The new school will serve students in grades PreK–5 and include amenities like an open-concept library and collaboration spaces. The school’s exterior will feature red brick, and the interior will use natural colors and circular abstract forms on ceilings, floors, and walls to create a sense of vibrancy, movement, and energy, according to the news release. According to the district website, the school will have capacity for about 800 students.

“With its focus on student collaboration and varied learning spaces, this new elementary is an exciting addition to Waxahachie ISD,” said VLK Principal Jonathan Aldis. “It also represents an important first step in following through with the hard work of the 2022 Long Range Planning Committee and preparing for Waxahachie ISD’s future.”

The district received donated land in the Saddlebook neighborhood on the city’s east side for the new school’s placement. Completion is scheduled for the school to open its doors in time for the 2024–25 academic year. The facility will measure in at 90,822 square feet and is tentatively slated to be known as Saddlebrook Elementary, according to online construction reports.

“Because of education, we will continue to be a shining star in this part of North Texas,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth. “Because of education, people will continue to want to live here and to build lives here and build their entire existence in this place. And our community said we want to continue to be that kind of place.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.