Mark White Elementary is a new $23.4 million school, which is being built on 10 acres of land on Old Farm Road between Buffalo Bayou and Westheimer.
The school will accommodate 750 students and relieve overcrowding in five existing schools located in the west Houston area. The school also will feature elements of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) and hopefully will become one of the best examples of a LEED school in the country.
Designs for White Elementary show the center of the campus facing a multipurpose and dining room, and includes an amphitheater and two driveways for bus and student drop-off. The second floor will have two classroom wings connected by a bridge-like corridor with views to the outside. Each classroom will have direct access to a shared collaborative learning commons area. In line with the nature theme of the campus, a “treehouse” gathering space also will be located on the second floor to provide a view below to the multipurpose room.
The school is scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2016-2017 school year.