Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Massachusetts District Begins Work on $66.7M Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/31/22

Braintree Public Schools in Braintree, Mass., recently announced that construction has begun on a new school facility for the district. The structure will serve as a new home for the existing South Middle School, and it will also be the town’s first new school construction in more than 50 years. The new school measures in at about 146,000 square feet. It’s estimated to cost about $66.7 million and is scheduled for completion in time for the start of the 2023–24 academic year.

Local news reports that the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed plans to vote on a temporary tax increase to help pay for the project. After a special election in fall 2020, Braintree voters approved a $63-million debt exclusion, and the state is expected to pay about $31 million.

"This is a very exciting time for Braintree," said Mayor Charles Kokoros. "It has been a very long road, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of such a momentous occasion."

The new facility for South Middle School will consist of three parts, according to local news reports. The first part will include a dining room and auditorium, media commons, two innovation labs and a band room. The second part will include two two-story sections containing classroom organized by grade. The third part will be the athletic wing and feature two gymnasiums, one including bleachers and one without. The school’s design also includes an outdoor courtyard with three seating areas.

The school will serve about 800 students in grades 5–8. Braintree Public Schools is partnering with MDS Architects on design and Bacon Construction as the construction manager.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • 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.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.