The Chandler Unified School District is paying more than $30 million to rebuild Galveston Elementary School, which originally opened in 1963, as part of what it’s calling a “campus reimagination project.”

The school recently celebrated the completion of the first phase of the project, marking the final beam being placed on what will be the new 81,000-square-foot main building.

Students, faculty and staff signed and decorated the final steel beam with handprints before it was placed atop the new classroom building structure.

The $32 million campus reimagination new-construction phase began in September 2023 and is due to be completed in October 2024, is being built on the campus playground area.

It includes the construction of a new 53,000-square-foot, two-story classroom building, a 7,000-square-foot administration building and a 21,000-square-foot, multipurpose gymnasium.

The second phase will begin in October 2024 when students, teachers and faculty transition into the new buildings. This phase involves the demolition of the original 1963 school buildings and the construction of new athletic fields and a playground area.

The new sports fields will include a soccer/flag football field, a baseball field and two outdoor basketball courts.

The entire project is slated to be completed in February of next year.
“Galveston Elementary is a very special community,” said CUSD Superintendent Frank Narducci. “This rebuild will be state-of-the-art and feature learning spaces that allow students and staff to work and learn collaboratively and independently. At the same time, the culture and history of the Galveston community will be woven into every detail of the space.”

Located at 661 E. Galveston Street in one of the older sections of Chandler, the 11-acre campus is being redesigned for the 21st century with state-of-the-art facilities that also honor Galveston’s rich history and culture.

Features being incorporated into the new campus buildings include:

• The new classroom building will have 31 classrooms and collaborative learning space. Each classroom is being equipped with fold-up glass walls that provide access to 85-inch interactive monitors on adjustable wall mounts that are capable of adapting to the height needs of students in various grades.

• Instead of a main library or media center, the campus will feature multiple “literacy rooms” stocked with grade-appropriate books and providing each grade level with its own learning area where classes can interact.

• A multipurpose room has a large divider that can be opened or closed to accommodate multiple space needs for community events, performances and sporting events;

• The cafeteria within the multipurpose building is capable of being isolated from the gymnasium so physical education classes can occur while lunch is being served and includes large roll-up glass doors, allowing for indoor and outdoor dining.

• An amphitheater with flexibility of opening to host indoor and outdoor events, located adjacent to the multipurpose room and outdoor dining area.

• The multipurpose room/gym will have its own public entrance.

• Security features will include cardreader-accessed controls on all doors and forced-entry-resistant glass at all entrances.

The design and construction partners on the project are architect Orcutt Winslow and general contractor McCarthy Building Companies.

The school currently serves approximately 400 students in grades pre-K through 6th grade. The campus renovation plans were influenced by months of meetings of community members with a rethinking of conventional approaches to education.

The new school will have a capacity of 750 students and room for future growth with four planned “flex” classrooms..

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