Juanita High School

Welcome to the new Juanita High School

Project Updates

JHS students spend time in Phase 2 classrooms for the first time

Jun 16 2021

During a recent lab in Greg Shelton’s material science class at Juanita High School, students turned borax and wires into glass using fire. One student admired the resulting designs and colors of the glass balls at the end of the copper and nichrome wires.

JHS Phase 2, which marked the completion of the rebuild and enlarge project, opened in Fall 2020. Phase 2 includes Career and ...

JHS softball begins practice on upgraded softball field

May 14 2021

Dry weather in April helped construction crews at Juanita High School complete the new turf softball field in time for the team to use the field this spring. See photos from a recent spring practice...

JHS field update

Mar 30 2021

At Juanita High School, the softball, baseball, and multipurpose fields are being upgraded to a new synthetic turf surface. The underground stormwater detention system is complete and the softball field is beginning to take shape as fencing and curb installation is underway for all fields. Track and Field participants in the discus, shotput and javelin will also have new throwing cages and landing areas south of the stadium.

The new tennis courts west of the Fieldhouse are ready for competition this spring. The full project...

Work begins on tennis courts and fields at JHS

Feb 19 2021

The softball, baseball and multipurpose fields at Juanita High School are being upgraded to a synthetic turf surface. The full project is scheduled to be complete by this summer.

Grading for the new tennis courts is now complete and concrete is scheduled for later in February. The tennis courts are expected to open for student use in March, and to be fully complete by May 2021. These improvements are being funded by our 2018 Capital Projects Levy and 2016 Bond program.

Cover of LWSD Building on Success Report

Building on Success Progress Report in your mailbox

Feb 19 2021

Homes around the district received LWSD’s Building on Success progress newsletter in their mailboxes in February. If you missed it, you can view the digital version, which includes these updates:

Facilities Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the Board after yearlong process

Feb 17 2021

After more than a year of work, the LWSD Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC) addressed the Board on January 25 during its regular meeting. The FAC was tasked with making recommendations to accommodate the District’s rapid enrollment growth and continue to provide quality learning environments. The Board will use the recommendations to determine next steps, which could include sending a funding measure to voters in 2022.

You can see the final recommendations report and the FAC’s presentation to the Board here:

Construction Progress Photos

Aerial Photos

Photo credit: Tim Rice Photography

Drawings and site plans

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Project Information

This project will rebuild and enlarge Juanita High School, built in 1971. It was included on the Long-Term Facilities Task Force recommendations to remodel and enlarge aging schools. The Task Force also recommended, based on community feedback, that the current Field House by retained. The fieldhouse and pool building will remain as it is.

Architect: Integrus Architecture

Contractor: Cornerstone Contractors
Square Footage: 217,000 s.f.
Capacity: 1,800 students (increase of 504)
Spaces: 36 standard classrooms plus science labs, art, CTE, special education, instrumental and vocal music, library, theater, cafeteria (total of 71 teaching spaces)
Estimated Project Cost: $145,477,000 (Includes construction costs of $82.5 million in 2016 dollars, $39.5 million in non-construction costs, and $23.5 million in expected construction cost inflation between now and the building’s completion)
Planned opening: September 2020 (one year early)

Remodel vs Rebuild decision
The district completed a Remodel vs Rebuild Study to determine whether to remodel the existing school building or rebuild a new school. The study was informed by a two-day workshop that leveraged the expertise of four contractor firms, architects, a commercial developer and cost estimators all experienced in school construction.

Based on this work, the academic building would be replaced rather than remodeled. The analysis shows the cost to remodel the building, including the upgrades to meet current codes and educational spaces comparable to other recent projects, would cost 1.8% less than to construct an entirely new academic building. This figure includes the cost of temporarily housing students during construction.

The analysis also showed that renovation of the existing building would result in a less efficient school given the current story and a half volume. The space would be less efficient to heat. It cannot be easily converted to two stories to gain needed additional classrooms space.

The study also showed that while remodeling would result in inadequate parking considering the addition needed to accommodate more students. When the cost to replace parking is included, the cost to remodel and expand the current building would be 3.8% more than the cost to rebuild a new school.

State construction assistance
Due to its age, the school became eligible for state funds for renovation or replacement in 2001. State funds are also anticipated due to lack of classroom space at the high school level in the district overall. The district expects to receive $15 million in State Construction Funding Assistance for this project.