Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/16/26

Key Takeaways

  • Lamar CISD opened Haygood Elementary School in a fast-growing Houston suburb, a 110,000-square-foot campus serving up to 854 students and funded by the district’s $1.5 billion bond passed in 2022.
  • The school serves as the first of three new campuses planned for the Cross Creek West community, addressing rapid enrollment growth as the district is projected to expand from 49,000 to 70,000 students over the next decade.
  • Haygood Elementary debuts a new, flexible prototype design, developed with Pfluger Architects and Drymalla Construction to balance district standardization with adaptability and community character.

The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community. Funding came through a $1.5-billion bond package that the district passed in 2022.

The district partnered with Pfluger Architects for the project’s design and Drymalla Construction for building services.

“Haygood Elementary and its programs were designed with the future in mind. We want every child here to feel inspired to explore, question, and grow. Haygood isn’t just a school – it’s a launchpad for lifelong learning,” said Lamar CISD Area Superintendent Dr. Shannon Hood. “Since the campus opened, the halls have been filled with energy, joy, and a true sense of community. Our students are already showing the curiosity and kindness that this campus was built to nurture.”

The news release reports that Lamar CISD currently enrolls 49,000 students across 57 campuses, but it is expected to enroll 70,000 students within the next ten years. The schools are being built to meet the rapid population growth in Fort Bend County.

Haygood Elementary represents a trial run at a new prototype design to establish “core programmatic elements such as learning community sizes, support spaces, and library placement,” according to the news release. The central design approach was balancing district standardization with adaptability, creating a facility that meets requirements while also embracing the local community’s character.

“Because this school is the first iteration of Lamar CISD’s new prototype, the design had to function as a repeatable model for the district,” said Pfluger Architects’ Christian Owens, Principal Design Director. “That meant creating a building that was simple, efficient, and flexible enough to adapt to different sites, orientations, and conditions while still maintaining a strong identity and consistent learning experience.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • Carnegie Mellon University Receives $3B Gift to Launch New Campus

    Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently announced that it has received $3 billion—the largest individual gift in higher education history—from Citadel CEO and founder Ken Griffin, according to a news release.

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.