Denton ISD officials voted to start the transition of Ginnings Elementary School to a pre-kindergarten to eighth grade academy during the Nov. 10 meeting after approving a $5.37 million budget increase to its general contract for additional facilities,
The details
The change order date is listed as Oct. 23 on district documents for the replacement campus, which will be at the same location as the shuttered elementary school. The budget increase is driven by changes to the original construction scope to accommodate the expanded educational model.
To support middle school students learning alongside the elementary grades, the updated architectural plan, designed by Corgan Associates Inc., includes several new facilities, according to district documents.
Updates include:
An activity room adjacent to the gymnasium
Dedicated middle school dressing rooms
A second science laboratory
A second art classroom
A fine arts multipurpose room
Campus finishes and branding tailored to a wider age span of students
Information about the school and its offerings was not discussed during the meeting. Community Impact has reached out to DISD for additional information.
By the numbers
The project's construction guaranteed maximum price increased by $4.91 million while additional design fees and testing soft costs added $457,038, according to district documents. Together, the modifications raise the project’s total probable cost from $63.28 million to $68.65 million.
Trustees set the initial construction guaranteed maximum price at roughly $57.68 million and the total probable cost at nearly $63.28 million in August 2025.
The context
Ginnings Elementary School was temporarily closed ahead of the 2025-26 school year to rebuild the campus as part of the district's voter-approved 2023 bond package of more than $1.4 billion, according to the district’s website. The rebuild initially had the campus serving the same pre-K to fifth grade model it used before it was closed.
While the new campus is being constructed, Ginnings students were rezoned to neighboring Evers Park, Hodge and Schulz elementary schools.
Construction was originally scheduled to finish in spring 2027 with the new Ginnings campus tentatively scheduled to open for the 2027-28 school year, per the district’s website.
Looking ahead
Along with the $5.37 million budget adjustment, the updates change the construction timeline by 155 days. The revised date of substantial completion for the Ginnings PK-8 campus is Oct. 26, 2027, according to district documents.
District officials did not give an updated timeline on when the school is expected to open.
