Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Washington State District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/26/26

Key Takeaways

  • Cheney School District announced plans for a new elementary school in Airway Heights, Washington, expected to open in fall 2027 and serve about 500 students in grades K–5.
  • The project is funded by a $72 million bond approved in 2024 and is intended to reduce overcrowding and eliminate reliance on portable classrooms in the district.
  • District officials say the new school will include expanded facilities such as a larger gym, multipurpose space, and field to better support both students and the broader community.

Cheney School District No. 360 in Spokane County, Wash., recently announced that construction has begun on a new elementary school, according to local news. The district held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 18 in Airway Heights for the yet-to-be-named school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2027. The school will play home to about 500 students in grades K–5.

According to local news, funding comes from a $72-million bond approved by voters in 2024. The purpose of the new facility is to relieve overcrowding in the district’s five existing elementary schools, all of which are operating above capacity and have funneled students into portable classrooms. The district also estimates another 760 students to enroll over the next ten years, 500 from Airway Heights, according to The Spokesman-Review.

“To get out of portables is going to be fantastic,” said Dr. Ben Ferney, district superintendent. “Sunset Elementary, our one elementary school in Airway Heights, is huge; it’s over 600 students. So that is going to be the school that is relieved the most.”

The district partnered with Intergus Architecture and Garco Construction for the project’s design and construction, respectively.

“With that growth, obviously, you build schools where the kids are. So being able to build here is awesome,” Ferney said. “It’s got a larger gym, it’s got a larger multipurpose space, it’s got a huge field. So I think the community use is going to be pretty big.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part II

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.