Officials are working toward repurposing Faubion Elementary for New Hope High School. (Rendering courtesy Leander ISD)
Plans are underway to repurpose the former Faubion Elementary campus for New Hope High School, which provides an accelerated, alternative path to graduation for Leander ISD students.
The board of trustees discussed the project's current design phase at its Oct. 1 meeting.
How we got here
In January, the board advanced plans for Pfluger Architects to provide design services for repurposing Faubion Elementary, which closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Officials are proposing a phased approach to the repurposing project, funded by a voter-approved 2023 bond:
Phase 1: 30,525 square feet focused on academic spaces
Phase 2: 28,100 square feet focused on support spaces
Phase 3: 59,740 square feet of new construction for a future two-story building expansion
Phases 1 and 2 would be built completely within the footprint of the existing Faubion campus. Trimble said the project could cost over $37 million through Phase 2.
Some of the proposed academic spaces include a courtyard commons, maker space, media center, science lab, gym and fitness center, art lab, and a learning commons.
"We understand New Hope learners learn differently," Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Trimble said. "We have smaller, more personal learning spaces where they can learn on their own. We have larger spaces where you can get an entire class, and we have collaborative areas outside of that."
Phase 1 design plans include two "neighborhoods" within the campus, breaking up academic spaces to a more personal scale.Rendering courtesy Leander ISD
Quote of note
"These types of spaces, with the blended learning and the small group spaces, really gave us that independent learning that we want for our students, but also give them a space where we can pivot and meet their needs. ... This is far from where we're at right now. Brightening the spaces, letting more light in, updating spaces really just encourages our students to come to school—to be a part of a community, something they experienced before but maybe didn't feel connected to. We're hoping to rebuild that connection within this new facility."
-New Hope High School principal Christina Lane
Looking ahead
Trimble said a potential Phase 1 timeline could look like:
