Minnesota K–12 District Completes New Elementary School

Rock Ridge Public Schools in Virginia, Minn., recently announced that construction of the district’s newest elementary school is complete. North Star Elementary cost $28.5 million and has the capacity for 600 students in grades 3–6, according to a news release. The district partnered with Kraus-Anderson Duluth for the project’s construction and BNDRY Studio for its design.

The project was part of a larger construction initiative after consolidating the Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia school districts into Rock Ridge, the news release reports. The 79,000-square-foot facility stands three stories and takes the place of a former elementary and high school. Amenities include collaborative learning spaces, open-concept classrooms, and modernized technology and teaching resources.

The building’s second floor features an outdoor learning space via an open-air learning patio above the main commons area. Extending the building upward to minimize the building’s footprint and reclaim greenspace was the result of collaboration with the surrounding community. Construction began in spring 2022, according to the news release.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • golden trophies with falling confetti

    Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is happy to announce that we’re now accepting entries for the 2026 New Product Awards! The awards program recognizes the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered particularly noteworthy.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.