The new campus, located on D.B. Wood Road, will serve grades nine through 12 and have a capacity for 2,200 students once completed, according to the district.
What you need to know
District officials and staff marked the groundbreaking Oct. 9, highlighting partnerships with Cambrian Environmental to map geological features of the karst site on which the school will be built, as well as Native Plant Rescue Project, which relocated over 500 plants of 20 different species to places such as Lake Georgetown, a Texas Parks and Wildlife facility in San Marcos and pollinator garden in Williamson County.
The details
Construction costs for the new high school are estimated to be about $356 million and are funded by the 2024 bond program.
The campus will be built on a karst site, which is formed when rainwater seeps into limestone and partially dissolves some of the stone. There are several such sites in Williamson County, with the largest being Inner Space Cavern.
GISD is an enrollee in the Williamson County Conservation Foundation Habitat Conservation Plan, and has worked to preserve karst features discovered on the site found by Cambrian during land surveys, including the Curious Calf Cave, Grey Fox Cave and Ringtail Cave.
What they're saying
In remarks given at the celebration, Superintendent Devin Padavil said the campus will be built with "innovative" learning environments, flexible collaborative space and modern facilities to prepare students for college, their careers and beyond. He also said the new campus will alleviate capacity issues at the district's two comprehensive high schools—Georgetown and East View high schools—and its alternative high school, Chip Richarte High School.
"Today's groundbreaking marks the start of something extraordinary," Padavil said. "We are building not only a school, but also a foundation for our next generation of leaders."
What's next?
The campus is expected to open in time for the fall 2028 semester. Padavil said the district would determine attendance zones, the campus name and school mascot closer to its opening, but did reveal that the school colors would be hunter green and Vegas gold.
