Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Arkansas District Begins $140M Renovation, Construction Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/12/22

A $140-million renovation and construction project has already begun at three schools within Springdale Public Schools in Springdale, Ark. Central Junior High School and Southwest Junior High School will receive total rebuilds, while Springdale High School will receive significant renovations, according to local news.

The three legacy schools are among the oldest in the district. The facility for Central Junior High was built in 1976; Southwest Junior High in 1967; and one building on the Springdale High School campus was built in 1952, according to the district website.

“When you look at some of these facilities, they’ve been around a long time, and they have served well and they’ve done a good job, but it was time…it’s time to modernize. It’s time to create more space. It’s time to evolve facilities the same way education’s evolving,” said Trent Jones, the district’s Director of Communications.

The junior high schools will retain certain components, like their existing gyms, as artifacts to memorialize the school’s history.

“We’ve connected the past and the present and the future by just making sure that we take different kinds of artifacts and pieces of history, and we continue it on through this construction,” Jones said.

Springdale High School has already seen its BLATT building (or “Flat Building”) demolished. Its old gymnasium will also be torn down in favor of a new Physical Education complex to be built next to the football stadium.

Previously, local news reported that the Springdale School Board approved the purchase of 12 acres of land in May 2022 for Central Junior high’s construction. That story also reported that the project will be funded largely through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

Renderings for all three schools are available on the Springdale Public Schools website.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.