Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

California District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/02/21

Officials from the Del Mar Union School District near San Diego, Calif., gathered at the end of June to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new elementary school. The June 24 event marked the first in-person event for district board and staff since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and future Pacific Sky School students were in attendance with plastic shovels in hand.

“The sky’s the limit for this school, and the district couldn’t be more excited to break ground on our ninth campus,” said DMUSD Superintendent Holly McClurg. “It’s been long planned for the Pacific Highlands Ranch community, and we appreciate the community’s support and patience through this process.”

The new facility will measure in at 67,000 square feet and have a capacity of 480 students aged K–6. Amenities will include 20 classrooms, dedicated STEAM+ spaces, a combination multipurpose room / innovation center, a blacktop play area, and a sports field. OBR Architecture is the architect of record for the project, and construction will be done by the Erickson-Hall Construction Company.

“It feels like yesterday that the school was just an idea on an oversized page of the facilities master plan,” said DMUSD President Erica Halpern. “It really seemed farfetched at the time, since the district didn’t even own the land. It wasn’t even clear that we wanted to own the land or build a school. But our outreach process illuminated what we’ve always known to be a priority: neighborhood schools.”

The new school is currently scheduled to open to students on Aug. 15, 2022.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Big Horn Academy

    Big Horn Academy

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Big Horn Academy has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.