The Midland (Texas) school district has broken ground on a new Legacy High School.
The Midland Reporter Telegram reports that the $420 million high school is being constructed on a 110-acre site in west Midland. It is set to open in 2028 and will replace a campus built in 1961.
Superintendent Stephanie Howard said the new school will serve between 3,800 and 4,200 students in grades 9 to 12.
“We’ve historically had our ninth graders on a separate campus, therefore not having that true 9-12 experience," Howard says.
The new high school also will enable the district to convert to a true middle school model, offering grades 6-8 on a campus.
“When we move our sixth graders off our elementaries, we’re going to have room for growth and room for expansion of preK,” Howard said. “We can truly get in line with that grade reconfiguration and the way that the majority of schools across the state are organized.”
The district projects that its enrollment next year will surpass 30,000 students. It is anticipating having an enrollment of more than 34,000 students within the next five to 10 years.
The existing Legacy High wasn’t built to serve the number of students the district has now, Howard says. The campus will be converted to a middle school after the new high school opens.
