Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Fort Knox to Replace 63-Year-Old Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/25/21

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has announced a new elementary school on the grounds of Fort Knox in Kentucky. It will replace the existing, 63-year-old facility for Van Voorhis Elementary School with what a news release calls a “state-of-the-art, 21st-century school.”

“All of our schools at Fort Knox are well known for providing a high-quality education for on-post children, and though it’s the oldest school on post, Van Voorhis Elementary is no different,” said Fort Knox Garrison Commander Col. Lance O’Bryan. “The staff at that school have done a truly wonderful job teaching our children with the tools at their disposal, so with a brand-new facility and the latest technology, the sky’s the limit.”

Van Voorhis is one of four DoDEA schools at Fort Knox, alongside Kingsolver Elementary School, Scott Intermediate School and Fort Knox Middle High School. Construction work on the new facility will be done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Louisville District. Work is scheduled to begin during the current academic year and be finished in time for the 2024­–25 school year. The facility will measure in at 104,000 square feet and cost about $58.9 million.

“You could hear exclamations of joy across the school when we learned the new school is on its way,” said Van Voorhis Elementary School Principal Angelique Johnson. “Everyone is looking forward to stepping into a new Van Voorhis Elementary School. Teachers love the idea of collaborative spaces, and the students love the idea of being connected to the outdoors. We cannot wait.”

According to a news release, all DoDEA schools take a “student-centered, participatory and experientially oriented” approach to school design. The facilities are designed within an open neighborhood concept that allows all students in a given neighborhood to work and collaborate during the day. Each grade level has its own multipurpose space surrounded by various-sized instructional spaces for breakout group work or one-to-one instruction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars