Add as a preferred source on Google

DFW-Area District Plans New Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/18/22

The Richardson Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex recently approved a budget for the construction of a new middle school. The district’s board of trustees voted on April 11 to approve $81 million toward the construction of the new Lake Highlands Middle School. The new facility will stand three stories tall and have the capacity for about 1,500 students.

“We are very excited for this,” said RISD Assistant Superintendent Sandra Hayes. “This is the first time that the district has taken on creating a new school since the early 2000s, with the exception of Memorial Park Academy. We're very excited to get this off and running.”

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and finish by August 2024, according to local news. The project is part of a wider district initiative to move from the junior high school system (in which sixth-graders attend elementary school) to the middle school system (in which sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders attend middle school).

After construction on Lake Highlands Middle School is complete, the district plans to demolish the existing junior high school and use the space for middle school amenities like parking, flatwork, paving, tennis courts, site lighting and landscaping, according to local news. The project’s total budget—including demolition and site renovations—is $94 million. Funds will come from a $750-million bond package from 2021.

The budget does take into account the increased price of construction. “Back in 2019-20, new construction in the metroplex was running around $300 a square foot,” Hayes said. “Currently, at the price that we're seeing industrywide, the cost per square foot is about $350 now due to escalation. That’s what we’re seeing in the construction world and hearing from our neighbors that are also building schools.”

The district’s goal is to convert all junior high campuses to middle school campuses by the 2030–31 school year, according to a district presentation.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Southern Mississippi Starts Construction on Oyster Hatchery

    The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently announced that construction has begun on a new oyster hatchery at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs, Miss., according to a news release.

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • iPark 87

    Building a Future-Focused Career and Technical Education Center

    A district superintendent shares his team's journey to aligning student passions with workforce demands, and why their new CTE center could be a model for districts nationwide.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

Digital Edition