It is with gratitude we thank our voters for approving our 2024 Capital Bond, which will fund the Edmonds School District Oak Heights Elementary School Replacement Project. The construction of the new facility replaces the existing 1967 Oak Heights Elementary School and is expected to start in the spring or summer of 2024. The new school will be built on the same site.
In February 2024, the District’s voters approved by 65.33 percent, a $594 million levy measure that specifically identified the replacement of Oak Heights Elementary School. For the duration of construction, students and staff will be located at the Former Alderwood Middle School.
The buildings at Oak Heights Elementary are functionally obsolete and past their useful life and lacking many of the affordances we expect to see to facilitate student learning.
The Oak Heights Elementary School design concept is based on the District-Wide Elementary School Educational Specifications that are currently in the process of being updated by the design team. The last version was updated in 2014, and since then, we have had a change in administration, a new strategic plan, and new codes to incorporate into the planning of the new facility.
The new Oak Heights facility will be about 84,000 square feet and is designed to continue to serve 620 elementary school students. The proposed replacement school is designed as a series of three separate buildings situated in the landscape deliberately spaced apart to allow the park-like site to run around and through it. Each building stretches lengthwise from east to west to optimize solar orientation for most spaces to achieve north and south daylight, which is more easily controlled. The buildings are connected via a central north-south circulation path, alternating between interior space, exterior covered walkways, and the main entry plaza. Much attention has been dedicated to safety and security, specifically around the principals of concentric rings of control; Deter, Detect, Delay. This is balanced with a focus around student learning and wellbeing.
A playfield is proposed in the northeast portion of the site. Bus access and staff parking will be accessed from 18th Avenue West and visitor, parent pick-up/drop-off and additional staff parking will be accessed via Oak Road.
We continue to involve the community, students, families, and educators in ongoing planning discussions, as we move from the design of the new school to permit documents.
Please check back for progress updates.
