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

  • ZeroEyes, Academic Innovators Partner to Provide Safety Solutions

    ZeroEyes, which produces a multi-analytics weapons detection and threat intelligence platform, recently announced a partnership with Academic Innovators, according to a news release.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.