Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Uvalde School District Approves Plans for New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/24/23

The school board for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in Uvalde, Texas, recently approved the design of a new elementary school to replace Robb Elementary, according to local news. The new facility will have a capacity for 800 students—almost twice that of the original school—and will prominently feature a memorial to the victims of last year’s shooting. The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation will now begin creating construction documents for the new school, which is scheduled to break ground in middle or late summer, according to local news.

A tree near the school’s entrance will serve as a reminder of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in May 2022. “It’s going to have two large limbs representing the two teachers and 19 smaller limbs representing the children,” said Uvalde Precinct 4 Judge Lalo Diaz. “Technically, this is going to be the center focus of the school and the vision of what we’re doing. Technically, this is holding up our school. This tree is going to be symbolizing the school for years to come.”

New safety measures will include fenced-in playgrounds and fields, keyless entry points, nine-for privacy gates, and a secure waiting area for visitors. A new road will also provide easy access to first responders during emergencies.

Funding for the $60-million project is coming largely through donations and fundraising, according to local news. The foundation has raised almost 70% of the goal and is accepting donations online.

“The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is honored to begin the next phase of our work to build a new elementary school in the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District,” said Tim Miller, the foundation’s executive director. “With this evening’s approval of the schematic design by the UCISD school board, we now move to the initial phases of the construction phase through the creation of construction documents.”

The new school will measure in at two stories and 120,000 square feet, according to local news. It’s scheduled to open its doors in time for the 2025–26 academic year.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.