Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/17/26

Key Takeaways

  • The new 115,111-square-foot Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater reached a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony marking the placement of its final structural beam.
  • The $74.5 million campus will feature extensive arts-focused amenities, including a 34,034-square-foot performing arts center with seating for more than 700, a black box theater, classroom buildings, and student support spaces.
  • District leaders emphasized that the project, slated for completion in fall 2026, reflects a long-term commitment to expanding creative and educational opportunities for students and the broader community.

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. The district partnered with McCarthy Building Companies and ADM Group on the 115,111-square-foot facility.

Amenities are set to include two one-level classroom buildings and a two-story facility with a black box theater, cafeteria, administrative space, a media center, and more classroom space. The campus will also feature a 34,034-square-foot performing arts center including front-of-house space, a lobby, seating capacity of more than 700, and a back-of-house area with flex space and a food service area, according to the news release.

“The beam represents more than steel and signatures,” said Kristen Acton, Governing Board President for AFHSD. “It symbolizes our shared commitment to students, families, and this community. Every decision behind this project was made with learning, opportunity, and long-term impact in mind.”

Construction started in May 2025 and has an estimated completion date of fall 2026, and the full project cost about $74.5 million. McCarthy Building Companies served as general contractor, and ADM as designer.

“Most of all, we can’t wait to have students walk through these doors,” said Julie Jones, Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater Principal. “And as we sign this beam today, I am reminded that it is their courage to create, perform, and grow that is the heart of Hilltop. They are the ones who inspire us and remind us why this work matters.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.