Nevada District Approves New Elementary School Construction

Officials from the Nye Country School District recently approved the construction of a new, $15.2-million elementary school in Tonopah, Nev. The 26,000-square-foot space will replace the existing elementary school and move to a 5.5-acre site near the city’s high school.

Local news reports that the move will effectively lead to a centralized academic area for students ages PreK–12 in the town of Tonopah. Tonopah Elementary School currently has an enrollment of 163 students.

The district is partnering with the Las Vegas-based design firm Knit on the new Tonopah Elementary School’s design. “We had two public information meetings where we solicited input from the community,” said Mark McGinty, principal at Knit. These meetings, as well as an online poll conducted by the district, revealed majority support for relocating the school to a new facility. “They want a new school,” he said.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2023 and is expected to last about 12 months. McGinty did comment that the integrative design of the two schools will account for the increased traffic flow and will include separate drop-off lanes for elementary and high school students. There will be another dedicated spot for school bus pickup and drop-off.

“Keeping the buses, parents and students separated is the No. 1 goal,” he said.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

Digital Edition