Four elementary schools look to future after sustaining damage during Harvey

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When Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston last August, it left a devastating mark on nearly everything it touched — including schools.

Nearly every campus in HISD received some damage, but there were four elementary schools — Scarborough, Mitchell, Kolter, and Braeburn — that received damage so significant that they had to be rebuilt.

That process is now underway. Design plans have been approved, and construction on the new schools is soon to begin. The students and staff from each of the four schools will remain in temporary spaces until their home schools are rebuilt and opened, which is expected in January 2020.

“I feel it’s our duty to support both the students and faculty,” HISD Construction General Manager Andreas Peeples. “These communities have been through so much, and it’s only right that we welcome them back to a brand-new facility built to withstand disasters such as Harvey.”

The new campuses will feature modern, two-story buildings with open, brightly-colored learning spaces, large windows to let in natural light, a central common space, and extended learning alcoves in hallways for student collaboration throughout the building.

  • Braeburn Elementary School students and staff will begin the new year in temporary buildings located at Welch Middle School. Demolition on the existing building was completed over the summer.
  • Kolter Elementary School moved into the former Gordon Elementary School shortly after the storm. Most recently, faculty and students held a community event to bid farewell to their original building prior to its demolition, which was completed over the summer.
  • Mitchell Elementary School moved into the former Codwell Elementary School building after the storm. Their original building was demolished earlier this summer.
  • Scarborough Elementary School moved into the former Terrell Middle School following the storm. Demolition on their home campus was completed this past summer.

Follow @Build_HISD on Twitter for the latest construction updates on the 2012 Bond Program and school construction across the district.