Leander ISD Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

The Leander Independent School District near Austin, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school, according to a district news release. Currently known as Elementary School 30, the new school is being built to accommodate a rapidly growing student population and will have the capacity for 800 students, local news reports.

The project is being funded through savings from 2017 and 2007 bonds, the news release reports. “As #1LISD continues to grow, I’m grateful to celebrate the construction of Elementary School 30 out of bond savings,” said district superintendent Bruce Gearing. “We are fortunate to be able to provide facilities for our incredible students and staff with input and support from our community.”

The district is partnering with Pfluger Architects for the project’s design and American Constructors for its construction. The new facility is set to open its doors to students in time for the 2024–25 school year. Local news also reports that the naming process for the new school is in progress.

School Board President Trish Bode called the project a “long time coming” and said, “When [ES No. 30] opens, it [will be a] building for our teachers and for our students to get together, so I’m thinking we’re going to experience more excitement in learning going on. That means a lot to our community, to have a building and not portables.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.