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Construction on the newly renovated Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy is nearly 100 percent complete as the final phase of the project wraps up in preparation for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

When they return this August, students will be greeted by renovated third-floor classrooms, new extended learning areas, and updated restrooms, all of which will be complete in a matter of days.

“My students, staff, and I are beyond thrilled about the renovations,” YWCPA Principal April Williams said. “This updated, modern facility — which still has its character and charm from the past — will indeed change the way we teach and change the way our girls learn.”

YWCPA is among 40 schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. Erected in 1925, the original, three-story, stately brick building is a historic presence in Houston’s Third Ward and is among HISD’s oldest school buildings.

Design plans for the $31 million construction and renovation project incorporated the preservation of historically significant building features, while also increasing learning spaces and adding modern science and technology labs.

Earlier this year, crews completed renovations to first- and second-floor classrooms, administrative offices, and performing arts area, including a dance studio, band hall, and choir room.

Also completed were cafeteria and kitchen renovations, enclosure of the school’s outdoor atrium, and a new building addition that houses the gymnasium, locker and weight rooms, science and robotics labs, and learning commons.

The updated facility will accommodate between 900 and 1,000 students.

More than 50 percent of all 2012 Bond projects are now finished and open to students, and that number is expected to grow to 80 percent by the end of the year. Once all work is finished, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country.

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