Iowa District Opens Second High School

The Waukee Community School District in Waukee, Iowa, held a dedication ceremony this week for its newest facility. Northwest High School is the district’s second high school and will welcome almost 1,300 students and 180 staff members when the school year begins next week.

The 390,000-square-foot building comes with a price tag of $120 million and features amenities like specialized classrooms, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a 6,000-seat athletic stadium, common areas and study rooms. “I love all the free rooms they have; it’s kind of like a college here,” said junior Owen Nielsen. “At any time, you can just kind of walk in and, you know, hang out and do your work, whatever you need to do.”

According to officials, the new facility was built with the idea of expansion in mind. Dallas County and Waukee County have both experienced tremendous population growth: Dallas County’s population grew by more than 50% between 2010 and 2020, while Waukee’s grew by 74%. Northwest High School was built for a capacity of 2,000 students, according to the district’s Chief Operating Officer, Kirk Johnson.

“When I started here 18 or 19 years ago, there were 2,850 or so students, K–12,” said district superintendent Brad Buck. “This year, we’re anticipating 12,500 students. We grow about 500 students a year; this school year, we’re actually over 600 new students, and there’s an outside chance we could have 700 new students this year.”

To maximize the space’s efficiency, teachers will not have their own dedicated classrooms; they will work out of six planning rooms, which will each contain at least 20 cubicles. School principal Dr. Fairouz Bishara explained that the method ensures no classroom goes unused, even when teachers have planning periods. Likewise, students may request lockers but will not be automatically assigned them.

Northwest High School is just one construction project in the district’s pipeline. Sugar Creek Elementary is scheduled to open in fall 2022, a fifth middle school in fall 2023, an eleventh elementary school in fall 2024, and a sixth middle school in fall 2025.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Image courtesy of MiEN Company

    6 Ways to Pull Off a Major District Construction Project

    Designing and building a large-scale project on a K–12 campus is a monumental undertaking that requires the right blend of ideas, funding, design and execution to get it right. The process also relies on multiple partners, each of which has to handle its respective aspect of the project while also keeping the district’s broader mission and goals in mind.

  • Greenheck Launches Optics Sensors for Kitchen Hoods

    Greenheck recently announced the launch of factory-installed optics sensors as an enhanced option for its kitchen ventilation hoods, according to a news release.

  • Creating a First and Lasting Impression with Thoughtful, Sustainable Design

    Clemson University’s Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center serves as the new front door to campus, anchoring the Tiger experience through each step in the student journey.

  • University of Kentucky Stormwater Harvesting System Receives Award

    The Utilities and Energy Management team from the University of Kentucky recently received a Grand Award at the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a university news release. The award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kentucky was for the university’s Central Utility Plant (CUP) Stormwater Harvesting System, which activated in fall 2023.

Digital Edition