San Diego Unified School District Breaks Ground on Two Modernization Projects

The San Diego Unified School District has officially begun modernization projects on two of its schools: La Jolla Elementary School and John Muir Language Academy. California builders C.W. Driver Companies broke ground on both construction projects last week. Work on both schools will entail renovations of existing buildings as well as the construction of new ones. The architects of record for the project are domusstudio architecture for La Jolla and the Baker Nowicki Design Studio for John Muir.

The work at La Jolla Elementary School (K-5) is scheduled to include upgrading existing permanent buildings and constructing a new two-story classroom and administrative building, a new kindergarten classroom building, a new lunch facility, and a restroom building for the school’s upper athletic field. Modernization of the existing structures includes infrastructure and technology updates, a maker space, outdoor learning areas, and a larger parking lot. An existing kitchen will also be remodeled, and the existing campus administration building will house more classrooms.

John Muir Language Academy Rendering
Photo Credit: domusstudio architecture

At the John Muir Language Academy (K-8), workers will add a new two-story PE locker room and classroom building and a new administration building, as well as expansions of the kindergarten and kitchen facilities. All existing permanent buildings will also be updated.

“C.W. Driver Companies is proud to partner with San Diego Unified School District on the continued updating of its schools throughout the county,” said Keith Kauffman, Project Executive with C.W. Driver Companies. “We will leverage our extensive experience in building education facilities to deliver an engaging, collaborative environment while minimizing the impact of construction on students, faculty and staff.”

The construction at the John Muir Language Academy is expected to last until 2023, while work at La Jolla Elementary School is slated for completion in 2024.

“As the second-largest district in California serving more than 121,000 students in preschool through Grade 12, providing optimized learning environments for our students is a top priority,” said the Chief Facilities Planning and Construction Officer with the San Diego Unified School District, Lee Dulgeroff. “We are confident that C.W. Driver Companies’ modernizations of La Jolla Elementary and John Muir Language Academy will enhance the educational experience and prepare our students for the future.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

Digital Edition