After years in the making, two new schools opened to Montgomery ISD students in time for the 2017-18 school year.

The school district hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Keenan Elementary School and Oak Hills Junior High School on Aug. 3, and the district opened the schools to students Aug. 22.

Campus construction was funded by the district’s 2015 school bond referendum, costing $23 million for the elementary school and $46.8 million for the junior high school.

“These two new schools represent the beginning of a new era in Montgomery ISD,” Superintendent Beau Rees said. “Both of these schools will feed into the district’s second high school, Lake Creek High School, which is set to open in August of 2018.”

The elementary school serves more than 600 students and 58 faculty and staff members this year, said Sonja Lopez, MISD assistant superintendent of human resources. However, it has a functional capacity for 823 students.

The one-story building includes four multipurpose classrooms, two science labs and an outdoor learning space. MISD Chief Operating Officer Bobby Morris said the outdoor learning space is fenced in and supervised by teachers. An art classroom and a science lab at the school have direct access to the outdoor space and can be reserved for instruction.

The district opened Oak Hills Junior High School next to the elementary school. The two schools share school colors and mascot name—the Lions, clad in navy blue and Vegas gold. Students attending Keenan and Lone Star elementary schools, as well as a small percentage of students at Stewart Creek and Montgomery elementary schools, will feed into Oak Hills Junior High School, Lopez said. 

The junior high school is a two-story, 210,943-square-foot facility. This year, the school houses 81 faculty and staff members and more than 950 students.

The school has a band room, choir room, black box theater, science labs, multipurpose rooms, elevators and athletic facilities. The school features a six-lane track and field for junior high school games and practices.

Morris said the district wanted both the new and existing junior high schools to have dedicated athletic facilities, so it also built a track and field and expanded the weight room at Montgomery Junior High School to ensure students had the same opportunities at both campuses, Morris said.

“Students will be able to play football games and practice track daily on their campuses,” Morris said. “It is exciting that we no longer have to bus them off-site to participate in these activities.”

This year, the district also implemented controlled entrances at all campuses for safety and security. All doors except for the front entrance will be locked after a scheduled time in the morning. Visitors must check in at the front office before they can access the rest of the school.