Maryland to See New $180M High School

Montgomery County Public Schools recently approved design plans for a new, $180-million high school in Gaithersburg, Md. Local news reports that Crown High School will stand five stories and have the capacity for about 2,200 students. The design also leaves room for potential expansion to house up to 2,700 students.

The school will include a gymnasium open to the public, dining space, an indoor amphitheater, and space for special education programs. It will also feature a child development program, an administrative sing, a performing arts wing, a media center, and classrooms and lab space. The campus will feature multiple courtyards, and open space accounts for about 65% of the layout, according to Bethesda Magazine. It will also take advantage of sustainability initiatives like solar panels and geothermal energy.

The main purpose of the school’s construction is to ease overcrowding at five other district high schools. The land on which the school will be built is owned by the city of Gaithersburg. The plot has been designated as a future school site since 2006 on the condition that construction had to begin within 20 years, according to an arrangement with the mayor and the City Council.

Construction is scheduled for completion in 2026, although it may stretch into 2027. The district is partnering with general contractor Keller Construction Management and architecture firm Stantec Architecture.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.