ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
KNOWLEDGE OF ELEMENTARY DESIGN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DESIGN
Allows curiosity to influence knowledge and skills
Provides the foundation of formal education, the basis of our American democracy
VLK’s approach to elementary school design begins with understanding the mission, vision, goals and pedagogy of the district.
Promotes integrated curricula enhancing student connections
Sca olds the future of every student
Supports individual learning styles
Creates a home away from home
At the elementary level, children thrive in a healthy and thoughtprovoking environment.
An exterior facade that responds to its context, stimulating and comforting interiors, natural daylight, indoor air quality, and safety and security are factors that must be considered.
Facilitates collegiality among faculty to best support children
Austin ISD Brentwood Elementary School Modernizations
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
99,529 sf
Cost
$30,025,047
This project included a full modernization of Brentwood Elementary School through a combination of partial rebuild and partial renovation work.
The program increased capacity of the campus from 585 to 696 students. The design of the learning environment incorporates “learning neighborhoods” that provide specialized spaces that are both flexible and adaptable over time.
Brentwood is also one of the Austin ISD specialized campuses that services Auditory Impaired students. Three A.I. Studios to serve the varying age groups are incorporated in the new design. These spaces are separated acoustically from adjacent spaces, with special care given to the design of room partitions, ceiling/floor assemblies and the HVAC equipment and ductwork serving the Studios. Floor, wall, and ceiling materials were specified that provide an acoustically quite space to enhance teaching and learning in the A.I. program.
Azle ISD Hilltop Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2024
Project Size
81,444 sf
Cost
$36,122,434
Hilltop Elementary o ers a nurturing and innovative learning environment designed to inspire curiosity and academic growth. As the first new elementary campus in Azle ISD since 1999, the two-story, 80,000-squarefoot facility reflects a modern approach to education. The curriculum integrates STEM, the arts, and the humanities, providing students with a wellrounded foundation. Features such as flexible learning commons, adaptable classroom spaces, and a strong emphasis on safety and community create an engaging setting where students thrive.
Birdville ISD Mullendore Elementary School Replacement
Project Information
Year Built:
2025
Project Size
101,837 sf
Cost
$44,363,942
The new Alliene Mullendore Elementary School replacement involves a complete replacement of existing school building. The new campus was designed as a Preparatory STEM Academy, aiming to create an engaging learning environment focused on STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
Brazosport ISD Prototype Elementary Schools
Project Information
Year Built:
2018
Project Size
88,000 sf
Cost
$19,232,688
In this prototype elementary school for Brazosport ISD each school is organized around a media center with green space in between each pod to promote outdoor learning. Each wing contains 13 classrooms, a large collaboration space, restrooms, and a teacher planning area.
VLK has designed/built this prototype 4 times for Brazosport ISD since 2018.
Eagle-Mountain Saginaw ISD Hatley Elementary School
Hatley Elementary School is a new 100,000 sf facility named after long time EMS-ISD teacher, administrator and board member Elizabeth Lopez Hatley. Upon the school’s opening, Hatley is quoted as saying, “My passion has always been education. I’m thrilled to know that this elementary campus will educate an immeasurable number of children for years to come.”
99,413 sf
Cost
$38,185,682
The unique design will be the new prototype for future elementary schools in the district and features a “Y” shaped layout that includes a connecting link allowing for easy site adaptability on any type of flat or sloping site. The school also features a dramatic, angular front entry with stone, an open-concept library and combination gym and storm shelter.
Generous amounts of strategically located glazing allows for ample views, natural light and transparency throughout while maintaining a level of security that meets TEA requirements.
Florence ISD Elementary School Replacement
Project Information
Year Built:
This project included the replacement of Florence ISD’s only elementary school with a new facility designed to house 720 students. The campus features collaboration spaces, grade-level pods, a flexible media center, and provides a new, modern, environment for the young learners in Florence ISD. 2025
Project Size
82,250 sf
Cost
$31,652,55
Galena Park ISD Jacinto City Elementary School Replacement
Project Information
Year Built:
2020
Project Size
119,000 sf
Cost
23,332,050
The design of the Jacinto City Elementary School replacement campus combines the desires of the community as expressed by design teams composed of district and campus leaders, teachers, community members, and students. The updated facility contains collaboration spaces to support student academic collaboration and socialization as well as science labs with access to the outdoors for meaningful content instruction. An abundance of natural light throughout provides a warm learning environment. The 119,000 sf building is two stories and has capacity for 966 students in pre-K through fifth grade. As a nod to the original campus, a hand-tiled wall mural was saved and installed in the new building to welcome new students and serve as a reminder of the roots of Jacinto City Elementary.
Houston ISD Condit Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2017
Project Size
83,154 sf
Cost
$17,000,000
Condit Elementary is embedded into the neighborhood fabric of Bellaire, Texas - a school that has served the community for over 90 years.
The design reflects the history of the community and elevates the educational spaces to support next-generation learning. The library is integrated as part of the school circulation and is called the learning commons. It is not dedicated to books alone but to collaboration and technology, as well. Every classroom connects directly to the learning commons, and by proxy, the books. Students and educators have immediate access to a space that encourages collaboration among peers in both small and large groups, making it a part of their daily experience. The traditional role of the librarian has transformed into a media specialist, serving as a second educator for every classroom. Education expands beyond the walls of the classrooms and teachers engage the new learning commons as an active multi-purpose experience for the students.
2018 Exhibit of School Architecture
Caudill Award Winner
Hutto ISD Modernizations and Improvements at Hutto Elementary
Schools
Project Information
Year Built:
2021
Project Size
Varies by Campus
Cost
Varies by Campus
VLK provided full services for modernizations and improvements to Veterans’ Hill ES, Ray ES, Nadine Johnson ES, & Cottonwood Creek ES.
The scope included renovation of the school’s libraries to provide nextgeneration learning and collaborative environments for both teachers and students, including new finishes, infrastructure, amenities, and energy e cient construction to make these schools equitable with the newest elementary schools in the district.
Katy ISD Bethke Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2016
Project Size
144,303 sf
Cost
$26,177,690
This two-story collaborative learning environment is organized to house specific grade levels while providing collaboration areas for each team.
The overall building allows natural light into classrooms to promote student comfort and achievement. Two stories of science labs o er outdoor access with a balcony for older students, while the library media center is an active learning area. Teachers meet, plan and review data in their Instructional Design Area for grade level needs.
Innovative spaces provide for transformed instruction. Students experience an extension of their learning environment with innovative areas outside classrooms. Students can take their technology needs with them around the school, and recharge their devices. Large group areas allow teachers to design lessons for a variety of curricular needs as well as a student group size. Classrooms are uniquely shaped allowing for personalization of space based on curriculum and instruction needs. 2018 Exhibit of School Architecture
Keller ISD Florence Elementary School Replacement
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
93,563 sf
Cost
$23,748,504
This project is one of four prototype elementary schools replacing aging district facilities that were no longer able to support Keller ISD’s vision for elementary education. The project was built upon and incorporated the many strong traditions of Keller ISD while creating new learning and teaching opportunities that support collaborative, risk-free teaching, learning, and working environments that engage all students through innovative curriculum and instruction.
Keller ISD Heritage Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
93,563 sf
Cost
$23,748,504
This project is one of four prototype elementary schools replacing aging district facilities that were no longer able to support Keller ISD’s vision for elementary education. The project was built upon and incorporated the many strong traditions of Keller ISD while creating new learning and teaching opportunities that support collaborative, risk-free teaching, learning, and working environments that engage all students through innovative curriculum and instruction.
Keller ISD Parkview Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
102,308 sf
Cost
$27,095,366
This project is one of four prototype elementary schools replacing aging district facilities that were no longer able to support Keller ISD’s vision for elementary education. The project was built upon and incorporated the many strong traditions of Keller ISD while creating new learning and teaching opportunities that support collaborative, risk-free teaching, learning, and working environments that engage all students through innovative curriculum and instruction.
Keller ISD Whitley Road Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
90,325 sf
Cost
$25,302,481
This project is one of four prototype elementary schools replacing aging district facilities that were no longer able to support Keller ISD’s vision for elementary education. The project was built upon and incorporated the many strong traditions of Keller ISD while creating new learning and teaching opportunities that support collaborative, risk-free teaching, learning, and working environments that engage all students through innovative curriculum and instruction.
Lamar CISD Don Carter Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2018
Project Size
94,978 sf
Cost
$27,649,878
The building is designed to allow for ease of student circulation and to facilitate supervision and administration, all while providing a safe and secure campus.
The new campus design features a long central corridor with administration, fine arts, special programs areas, a media center, gym, cafeteria, and large group instruction spaces. Six classroom pods break o of the main shared corridor, divided by grade level. Each grade level pod has its own special programs area as well as collaboration spaces and restrooms centralized for use by each classroom. Students will easily be able to identify their grade level pod based on wall accents, flooring, and furniture selections color coded for each section of the school.
Safety and security attributes were a priority when developing this prototype campus. Outdoor learning courtyards were strategically placed with secured fences between classroom pods. Separate parent and bus drop-o areas control tra c flow and make it easier to monitor students arriving and departing each day. The building was also designed with a secure main entry near the administration space.
Liberty Hill ISD Liberty Hill Elementary School No. 18
Project Information
Year Built:
Est. 2026
Project Size
112,086 sf
Cost
$43,895,000
Elementary School No. 8 is designed to increase student capacity from the typical 750-student capacity to 1,000 students. This decision comes as several elementary campuses in the district are approaching or exceeding their enrollment limits.
The approved schematic design for the new school includes a 112,086-square-foot campus intended to serve 1,000 students, featuring 54 classrooms and expanded facilities. The design incorporates 16 additional classrooms, a larger science area, dedicated art and music rooms, and more spacious administrative and dining areas compared to schools designed for 750 students.
Lockhart ISD Borchert Loop Elementary School
Project Information
2025 Year Built:
Project Size
90,000 sf
Cost
$35,000,000
Lockhart ISD’s goal is to transition the district towards creating a collaborative, growth-set-minded, learning, and working environment to empower ALL to seize opportunities to achieve at high levels. The focus on academic growth, student opportunities, and real-world learning experiences, as well as upholding the values and beliefs of the Lockhart community, will allow students to excel and meet their potential in this new elementary campus. The new design features an engaging library as the hub of the campus, next-generation maker space throughout the campus, flexible multipurpose spaces that will serve a number of functions for the district, and includes safe indoor and outdoor learning and play spaces.
Midlothian ISD Jean Coleman Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
97,874 sf
Cost
$24,083,069
Jean Coleman Elementary School is a modern, thoughtfully designed campus that fosters collaboration, innovation, and a strong sense of community. Named in honor of longtime educator Jean Coleman, the school serves grades Pre-K through 5 and has capacity for approximately 750 students.
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Austin Elementary Replacement
Project Information
2024
$38,042,626
Designed to honor the past while embracing the future, this learning environment for young children supports their development, builds community connections, and sparks joyful, curiosity-driven learning every day. A reclaimed stone arch from the original school welcomes students into a bright, nurturing environment designed around their unique needs.
A single-level layout, intuitive wayfinding, and short walking distances promote safety and independence, while playful graphics and distinct colors in each pod build a sense of belonging. Three secure outdoor courtyards with soft turf, a covered play area, and developmentally aligned elements encourage movement and exploration.
A shaded library patio doubles as an outdoor classroom, blending indoor and outdoor learning through playful, hands-on experiences. Natural light fills every space through high and wide windows, while cozy library nooks allow students to choose how they learn best. Developed in collaboration with district leaders, teachers, families, and city o cials, the campus is an inclusive and inspiring environment that nurtures growth and a lifelong love of learning.
Royse City ISD Ruth Cherry Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2022
Project Size
104,000 sf
Cost
$31,729,299
This project is a replacement elementary campus serving grades K-5. The 104,000 sf facility includes maker spaces and innovative technology spaces that provide a variety of learning opportunities for students. The unique design features a curved floor plan to highlight the pond on the adjacent site. The campus is centered around a treehouse-inspired, two-story library that has a slide from the upper to lower level, leading to the outdoor collaboration space. The building is divided into age-appropriate spaces with grades K-2 housed on the first floor and grades 3-5 upstairs.
The school’s namesake, Ruth Cherry thrived in her 28-year career as an educator and administrator and is still an active presence at the school. Her impact was made permanent at the new campus where you’ll find a short biography and her signature painted on the wall near the entrance, as well as a number of her favorite storybook quotes on walls throughout the campus.
Royse City ISD Paula Walker Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2024
Project Size
104,000 sf
Cost
$38,995,589
This new campus, approved in the May 2021 Bond Referendum, opened in August of 2024 in the Waterscape Subdivision of Royse City. The design shares many of the features of the newly opened Ruth Cherry Elementary campus in Verandah Estates. By utilizing a prototype design, the district saved taxpayer dollars and can more accurately meet opening deadlines to serve a rapidly growing student population.
San Antonio ISD Graebner Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
Est. 2026
Project Size
50,000 sf additions
Cost
$39,963,632
This modernization project includes a two-story, 50,000 sf addition to the 47,000 sf Graebner Elementary School originally built in 1932 (with a classroom and gymnasium addition built in 2001). The project modernizes the existing two-story academic building and adds an additional classroom wing, community room, fine arts spaces, and library, as well as modernizing the existing gymnasium, cafeteria, and stage. The existing front face of the building — which includes the library and community room, among other spaces — can be closed o from the rest of the school for after-hours community functions.
San Antonio ISD Schenck Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
Est. 2026
Project Size
70,000 sf additions
Cost
$29,217,000
This project includes a two-story, 70,000 sf addition to the existing 23,000 sf Schenck Elementary School. The project modernizes the existing one-story academic building for the proposed administration area and community space to allow for the entrance from Goliad Road, as per the community input. The project includes the new addition of classrooms, collaboration spaces, fine arts, and library. The library and outdoor learning spaces face the existing trees along Kate Schenck Avenue. Along with fully enclosing the building, the design also includes perimeter fencing with controlled entrances and improved site circulation for privacy, safety, and security.
Sherman ISD Crutchfield Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2025
Project Size
113,188 sf
Cost
$47,174,364
Crutchfield Elementary is a 113,188-square-foot campus designed to serve 712 students with a focus on safety, innovation, and hands-on learning. The school features multiple secure outdoor learning areas, including a unique rooftop science space for 5th grade students to easily access outdoor experiments and lessons.
A full-size gymnasium and indoor activity room support daily physical education regardless of weather, with the gym built to FEMA storm shelter standards for winds up to 250 mph. The campus includes a 953-squarefoot art room with outdoor access, an 868-square-foot design lab for active learning, and a 2,281-square-foot library equipped with modern technology and creative resources. Purpose-built spaces meet the needs of special populations.
To support collaborative teaching, grade-level learning areas provide flexibility in group instruction. A dedicated music classroom connects to the cafetorium stage, enhancing performance-based learning. Controlled entry vestibules ensure visitor monitoring, and multiple age-appropriate playgrounds o er safe and engaging outdoor play.
Sherman ISD Fairview Elementary School
2025
The Fairview Elementary replacement blends tradition and innovation in a 115,822-square-foot facility designed for 712 students. Honoring the school’s history, wood from the original campus bench seating has been repurposed as an accent wall behind the reception desk, and commemorative brick pavers were relocated to a new courtyard with room for future additions. The courtyard also continues the legacy of the community garden and includes a secure outdoor learning space.
The campus features a full-size gymnasium and indoor activity room, supporting daily physical activity in any weather. The gym is built to FEMA storm shelter standards for enhanced safety. Specialized learning areas include a 1,237-square-foot art room with outdoor access, a 583-square-foot design lab, a 3,640-square-foot library with modern technology, and dedicated spaces for special populations.
Grade-level collaboration areas o er instructional flexibility, while a dedicated music classroom with stage access supports performance learning. Controlled entry vestibules enhance campus security, and multiple age-appropriate playgrounds provide space for outdoor play and development.
Sherman ISD Parker Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2025
Project Size
110,549 sf
Cost
$51,454,382
Parker Elementary is a 110,549-square-foot campus built to serve 712 students with a focus on safety, creativity, and flexible learning. At the heart of the school is an 8,669-square-foot gymnasium, constructed to FEMA storm shelter standards to withstand winds up to 250 mph, and designed to support daily physical activity in all weather conditions.
The school includes a 987-square-foot art room with outdoor access, a 767-square-foot design lab for hands-on learning, and a 2,904-square-foot library featuring modern technology and collaborative spaces. Purposebuilt areas support special populations, while grade-level collaboration spaces give teachers the flexibility to adjust group sizes and instructional approaches.
A dedicated music classroom connects directly to the cafetorium stage for daily use, and controlled entry vestibules enhance campus security. Multiple age-appropriate playgrounds round out a well-equipped, student-focused environment that encourages exploration and growth.
Waller ISD McReavy Elementary School
Project Information
Year Built:
2024
Project Size
121,097 sf
Cost
$23,332,050
Bridgeland’s newest elementary school, McReavy Elementary in Prairieland Village welcomed its first students in August 2024. Part of the Waller Independent School District, (WISD) the school will serve 850 children. Considered one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas, the current population is very diverse, with over 20 languages spoken. The school’s layout includes collaboration spaces just outside classrooms for when children need special attention, such as getting help in grasping a new concept. Reaching excellence through social emotional teaching (RESET) is a concept that helps kids who may be struggling. By utilizing these collaboration spaces and o ering additional instruction helps to keep kids in their own classrooms for more inclusive practices. The district mantra: ‘See the need, meet the need’ ensures children receive the specialized support they require. All children enjoy specials, rotating through classes in library, music, physical education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
