Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Houston-Area District Opens New Junior High, Athletic Stadium

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/09/21

The Tomball Independent School District—located in Tomball, Texas, as part of the Houston metropolitan area—recently celebrated the completion of a new junior high school and a new athletic stadium. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Grand Lakes Junior High School took place on Friday, Aug. 6, and the ceremony for the stadium is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 9. According to a news release, the structures represent two of the biggest projects from a $275-million bond program approved by voters in November 2017.

“Being able to celebrate the opening of these new facilities is a major milestone for Tomball ISD and is in large part due to the unwavering commitment to high-quality instruction and extraordinary experiences we offer in our Destination District,” said Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball ISD Superintendent. “None of this would be possible without the support of our community, who share a passion for our education and understand the importance of investing in our future growth as a District. We look forward to these facilities serving our students, staff and community for many, many years.”

Both projects broke ground in May 2019. The design architect was PBK Architects, and the contractor was Gilbane Building Company. The program manager was Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN). Both were undertaken with the purpose of accommodating rapid growth in the district; student enrollment climbed from 16,000 during the 2018–19 school year to 19,500 in 2021.

Grand Lakes Junior High School
Photo Credit: Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN)

Grand Lakes Junior High School comes with a $43.26-million price tag and covers almost 230,000 square feet. It will hold 1,645 students in seventh and eighth grade, and campus amenities include 60 classrooms, 12 labs, two gyms, and a weight-training room, as well as two fine arts labs, a dance studio and a fine arts studio.

The Tomball ISD Stadium, which cost $37.29 million, can seat 10,000 people and features 3,000 parking spots. The facility will serve the football, soccer, arts and band programs across the entire district. A two-story community facility can hold 600 people and features a conference center and sports locker and dressing rooms, as well as athletic training, kitchen, and administration facilities. The 52-foot by 36-foot Daktronics scoreboard will provide live footage during games.

“The completion of these two facilities is another significant milestone in Tomball ISD’s continuous quest for excellence,” said JP Grom, vice president of LAN. “These two facilities will serve students, teachers and staff for the next 50–75 years and will provide them the environment and infrastructure needed to succeed in the 21st century.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.