The Maricopa Unified School District governing board on Oct. 22 received a construction and program update for the district’s new K–8 school in the Sorrento subdivision that will serve up to about 1,100 students from pre‑K through eighth grade.

Planning principal Elizabeth Allison and Andy Gooding of Chase Building Team told the board the project is moving into vertical construction and outlined the school’s instructional model. Allison said the school will include separate learning environments for elementary and middle grades, a gym, a food commons and career‑themed discovery spaces. "This unique model will feature multi‑age houses where students, with the exception of our kindergarteners, will remain in the same house for up to 2 years," Allison said.

Why it matters: The project combines a major capital investment with an instructional change from single‑grade classrooms to team‑taught, multi‑age houses and career academies that the district says are intended to strengthen student‑teacher relationships and provide more hands‑on, work‑based experiences.

Contractor update and timeline
Andy Gooding, representing Chase Building Team, said three of five slab pours were complete and that the gym structure was topped out to allow masonry to begin. "Currently, right now, we have 3 out of the 5 portions of slab poured," Gooding said. He added that Building A was topped out and that Building B was scheduled to be poured by the end of the following week, which will allow two masonry crews to work simultaneously and accelerate vertical work.

Gooding told the board recent heavy rain cost the project "about a day and a half" of schedule time, not a full work day, because crews used pumps and other measures to recover work when weather allowed.

Program model and next steps
Allison described a program that moves students from career awareness in early grades to exploration and then into grade‑band academies in grades 5–8. She said students will choose among academy paths and experience industry‑relevant projects and electives tied to local partners. "We're kind of looking at everything right now" for staffing those electives, Allison said, including certified teachers partnered with industry representatives or specialized CTE staff.

She said district staff are convening three focus groups to shape work‑based learning, refine the team‑teaching model and set the school's culture. "My ongoing priorities is mapping out these evolving student experiences to ensure new programming is impactful from day 1," Allison said.

Board members asked about long‑lead electrical components; Gooding said needed equipment was on site. Allison said staffing specialized academy electives could be a challenge and that district planners are evaluating multiple certification and partnership models.

What’s next: The district said it will continue partner outreach, finalize staffing plans and complete the next slab pours to keep the project moving into full vertical construction.