Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ore. District Breaks Ground on Two New Elementary Schools

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/19/21

The Hermiston School District, located in Hermiston, Ore., celebrated the groundbreaking of two new elementary schools last week. One replacement facility and one new facility are both set to open in the Eastern Oregon district in 2022.

The replacement facility is a new home for Rocky Heights Elementary. It will have a capacity of 600 students and measure in at 73,500 square feet. The $23-million building will be one story and contain 24 classrooms, a library, a gym, and other student common areas. The building will be constructed at the former site of the current school’s athletic fields. Students will continue attending school in the existing building for the 2021-22 academic year until the new school opens in fall 2022. The existing Rocky Heights Elementary was built in 1962 and faces a multitude of maintenance and security issues, according to the East Oregonian.

The other construction is for a new elementary school to be known as Loma Vista Elementary School. Loma Vista will also have capacity for 600 students and have a layout very similar to the new Rocky Heights Elementary. The school is scheduled to open in time for the 2022-23 academic year.

Funds for the construction of both buildings come from an $87.2 million bond that passed in 2019. The bond will also fund a new softball complex for the district, a new classroom annex at Hermiston High School, the purchase of additional property for future construction projects, and upgrades to parking areas at several schools in the district. The district is partnering with BBT Architects for design and Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co. for construction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Minnesota District Starts Construction on Early Childhood Learning Center

    Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools in Sauk Rapids, Minn., recently announced that construction has begun on a new early childhood learning center and a new outdoor activities complex, according to a news release.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.