Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Southern Minnesota Gains New K–12 School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/20/22

The Maple River School District in Mapleton, Minn., recently finished construction on a new, $63-million K–12 school. The new facility covers 200,000 square feet and will serve students in the rural communities of Amboy, Good Thunder, Mapleton and Minnesota Lake, according to a news release. The new school is part of a long-range facilities plan whose funds come from a $63.3-million bond referendum that was passed in February 2020, and the project broke ground in October 2020.

In addition to classrooms and administration offices, the two-story facility features three gymnasiums, playgrounds, a kitchen, café, and a 500-seat auditorium. One wing of the school will serve elementary-school students and include early-childhood classrooms; the other wing will serve middle- and high-school students and include amenities like agricultural science and career and tech classrooms. It will also feature outdoor spaces like retention ponds, walking paths and playfields.

Maple River K12 School
Rendering Courtesy of ISG Architects

The new facility was designed with equity in mind, the news release reports. It will feature balanced classroom sizes and equal access to support and resources. The centralized learning environment is intended to boost students’ collaborative, interactive and social learning experiences, and the modernized facility will offer benefits like improved indoor air quality, accessibility and safety.

The district partnered with construction firm Kraus-Anderson and architecture firm ISG Architects.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • William Penn Charter School

    Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.