Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Construction Begins on New Denver Middle/High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/20/21

Construction on a new middle/high school has begun in the Denver Community School District in Denver, Colo. The new facility will relieve space and capacity issues at the district’s existing school buildings, as its elementary, middle, and high schools currently share a single campus. The new middle/high school will be built separately.

It will be attached to the Cyclone Center, the Denver High School athletic facility built in 2017. Construction of the Cyclone Center was Phase I of a continuing construction and expansion project for DCSD. “We always knew we wanted to upgrade our facilities to match the quality of education that our kids are receiving,” said Denver Community School District Superintendent Brad Lauers.

The $16.44-million, 75,500-square-foot middle/high school is scheduled to open in fall 2022. It will initially welcome 500 students in grades 6-12, but it has the capacity to hold up to 800 as enrollment expands. The district has welcomed 100 new students to its population during the last three years.

The existing school facilities are being pushed to their limits. Storage spaces have been converted into classroom, and an outdoor weight room has become the school’s music room. “It was time to stretch out a little bit,” said Lauers. “We’re a growing community, a growing district, and this will allow us to meet the needs of our students.”

Bids for the project came in slightly higher than expected, and as a result, a planned wrestling room was going to be scrapped. However, the school’s wrestling club is fundraising with a goal of $275,000 to be able to include the space in the new building.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • Washington State District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Cheney School District No. 360 in Spokane County, Wash., recently announced that construction has begun on a new elementary school, according to local news. The district held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 18 in Airway Heights for the yet-to-be-named school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2027.

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.