Jaime D. Padron Elementary School—located in a retrofitted campus that was once the site of a warehouse—will open in August, Principal Rafael Soriano said.

Formerly known as North Central Elementary School No. 2, the Austin ISD school is one of a few facilities constructed as part of the district's $343.7 million 2008 bond program. AISD held a groundbreaking Oct. 1 for the 7.6-acre campus, which will include a 143,000-square-foot school with 57 classrooms when it opens Aug. 25.

Soriano, who was principal at McBee Elementary School for five years, said the site has been completely transformed.

"From the groundbreaking to now, you wouldn't recognize the building. People come in and say, 'Oh my gosh, this is the same place?' because it has two stories, and it has a completely different design," Soriano said, adding: "The outside walls were the only things that were left, and everything inside is new. It's really a new school at the end of the day."

The school features large classrooms, colored hallways and three playground areas as well as a basketball court, track and picnic tables, Soriano said. He added teachers will be using new technology in the classroom.

Soriano noted students attending the school will mostly come from Wooldridge and Cook elementary schools, both of which are over capacity and have several portable classrooms on campus.

"The kids are going to be amazed that this is what a school is like," he said. " That's what this area needs—a place where the community feels like this is their place. It's a place that is beautiful and new, because that's not something they see every day."

The facility also features a 245-kilowatt solar array on the roof that will be tied into the main electrical service for the campus. The school is designed to achieve at least a three-star rating through the Austin Energy Green Building Program and a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Silver certification, according to AISD. More information about the school is available at www.austinisd.org.