The Dickinson (North Dakota) district has broken ground on a $69 million expansion and renovation of Dickinson High School.
The Dickinson Press reports that the campus upgrade is the largest school construction project in the district’s history and the high school's first major renovation in more than three decades.
The new facilities are scheduled to open to students by January 2027.
The project calls for a three-story addition with new classrooms, a modern cafeteria, updated administrative offices and a relocated main entrance.
Renovations to the existing facility will improve decades-old infrastructure, including roofing, HVAC and security systems. District leaders say the changes are essential to accommodate projected enrollment increases and to bring the building up to modern standards.
The groundbreaking comes after a yearslong effort to secure funding for the expansion. Voters rejected two previous bond proposals in 2019, both of which carried higher price tags. Ahead of a third referendum in October 2023, district leaders launched a public outreach campaign that emphasized the need for updated infrastructure, additional classroom space and improved student safety.
Voters overwhelmingly approved the $69 million bond proposal last year.
The project is the largest capital investment in a Dickinson school facility since the high school was constructed. The last major upgrade to the building occurred in the 1990s.
