Almost seven years after Houston voters approved a $1.89 billion bond to replace and repair 40 schools across the district, including 29 high schools, the 2012 Bond Program is coming to a close.
Only four schools remain under active construction as part of their original scope of work – Northside, Lamar, Austin, and Bellaire high schools.
“We’re excited about the work we’ve done over the summer,” Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said. “We’re proud of the 21st–century learning spaces we’ve created.”
School construction across the district stands at 85 percent complete, with the last four 2012 Bond schools making steady progress.
Northside High School – The project is 90 percent complete, and the new fine arts addition is set to open this month. Construction on the school’s exterior courtyard and other ancillary spaces will wrap up later this year.
Lamar High School – The new building addition and skybridge are scheduled to open at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The overall project is 76 percent complete, with renovation work continuing on the school’s original building, which is slated to open in early 2020.
Bellaire High School – After officially breaking ground earlier this year, construction is 15 percent complete, with installation of site utilities and underground piers underway. The school is set to open in 2021.
Austin High School – The project is 47 percent complete, with doors slated to open to students for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Realignment projects continue across the district, with major construction at seven campuses — Westbury, Waltrip, Wisdom, Washington, Yates, and Milby high schools and Pilgrim Academy. These are new, board-approved projects that were not part of the original scope of work but are funded by surplus bond funds.
Additionally, work continues to rebuild four elementary schools — Scarborough, Braeburn, Kolter, and Mitchell — that sustained significant damage due to Hurricane Harvey. These projects are not funded by the bond program but are overseen by Bond and Construction Services staff. With construction underway, all four schools are slated to open next summer.
Once all 2012 Bond projects are done, HISD will boast one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the nation.