Henrico Schools has a number of capital projects underway, including several school rebuilds, expansions to two Advanced Career Education (ACE) centers, and three new middle school auditoriums.
In 2022, 86% of Henrico voters approved a bond referendum to dedicate $340.5 million to construction projects for schools across the county. Several bond projects have already been started, including rebuilds of two elementary schools and one middle school and the construction of a new environmental science center.
The Henrico School Board also approved a Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 that designates a long-term timeline for the construction of two new elementary schools and several school rebuilds.
School board members hope that the capital projects will improve many of the county’s older school facilities; about 73% of HCPS’ school buildings are more than 30 years old and 60% are more than 50 years old. HCPS officials also hope the projects will help reduce overcrowding at several schools, particularly at schools in the West End that are already over capacity.
The projects include:
• Renovation of Jacob L. Adams Elementary School – Several areas of Adams Elementary will be renovated to modernize the building and increase safety and security. The main entry area in front of the bus loop will have two main doors and the administration area will be moved to the side of the building so that administrators will have clear views of entry points. An additional entry point will be added to the main parking lot to relieve congestion and additional staff and visitor parking will be added within the bus loop. Higher ceilings will be constructed in the multi-purpose room and the media center to increase natural light. Construction on the $19 million project, which is funded by the 2016 Bond Referendum and the Capital Improvement Project, was set to begin in 2023 but was pushed back to the beginning of 2024. Renovations are set to be finished later this year.
• Rebuild of Jackson Davis Elementary School – The new two-story Davis Elementary School building will be constructed adjacent to the existing building and will increase the school’s capacity from about 500 students to 750 students, which HCPS officials say will help ease school overcrowding in the Three Chopt District. The new building will add 8-10 new classrooms, so that each grade level has about five classrooms each, and will include designated space for special education programs and other student activities. The project will cost $41.5 million, using funds from the 2022 Bond Referendum and the Capital Improvement Plan. The construction process, which began this year, will take about 20-22 months and is set to be completed in January 2026. Afterwards, the old school building will be demolished over about 6-8 months.
• Rebuild of R.C. Longan Elementary School – A new two-story Longan Elementary School building, based on the same design for the new Davis Elementary School building, will be constructed next to the existing school campus, which HCPS officials hope will alleviate overcrowding at Longan as well as nearby elementary schools such as Rivers Edge Elementary and Ridge Elementary. The new building will increase the school’s capacity from 500 to 750 students and add 8-10 new classrooms along with other designated spaces for school programs and activities. HCPS officials also hope to salvage most of the trees in the southeast corner of Longan’s campus. The project will cost $41 million, using funds from the 2022 Bond Referendum and the Capital Improvement Plan. Construction began this year and the new school building is set to open in January 2026. Afterwards, the old school building will be demolished over about 6-8 months.
• New Environmental Education Living building at Wilton – A new Center for Environmental Science and Sustainability Living Building, which will serve students countywide, will be constructed at Wilton Farm in the Varina District. The facility, which will be adjacent to the James River, will feature zero net-energy use, meaning it will produce more energy than it uses. The project will cost a total of $16.3 million using funds from the 2022 Bond Referendum and the Capital Improvement Plan. Construction began this year and is set to finish by the fall of 2026.
• Rebuild of The Academy at Virginia Randolph – Most of the existing AVR building will be replaced by new building additions that will remain on the same campus. The new two-story building will house elementary and special education programs on the first floor, while the second floor will be dedicated to middle and high school programs. The new building will have two identifiable main entrances, one near the parking lot and one near the bus loop, with the main front doors located off Mountain Road. A courtyard and several outdoor learning areas will also be added. The original six-classroom schoolhouse site, located on the first floor, will be preserved and used by HCPS’ Family and Community Engagement team. HCPS held several design workshops for the new building in 2022 to gather input from the school community. The $69 million project is funded by federal COVID relief (ESSER) grants and the Capital Improvement Plan. Construction began last year and is set to finish later this year.
• Rebuild of Quioccasin Middle School – A $89 million rebuild of Quioccasin Middle School, funded by the 2022 Bond Referendum and the Capital Improvement Plan, is set to begin during the 2024-2025 school year and finish during the 2026-2027 school year. A $6 million design contract was awarded to Moseley Architects P.C. by the school board last November, but a final design has not yet been presented in front of the school board.
• Expanded ACE Center at the Academy at Virginia Randolph – A new ACE Center building at the Academy of Virginia Randolph campus is currently under construction and set to open this fall. The stand-alone building will have its own designated parking area, administration area, and an identifiable front door. The new building will be able to seat 400 students.
• Expanded ACE Center at Hermitage High School – HCPS opened the first floor of the new stand-alone 85,000-square-foot ACE Center at Hermitage High this past January but is currently constructing the building’s second floor, which will open during the 2026-2027 school year. The 40,000-square-foot second floor will host a number of Henrico Career & Technical Education health and medical programs for CTE students across the county. CTE construction students get the opportunity to work alongside contractors to help build the second floor. With both floors constructed, the Hermitage ACE Center will be able to seat 1,300 students and the project will cost a total of $33 million, using funds from the Capital Improvement Plan.
• New auditorium at Tuckahoe Middle School – A new stand-alone 10,000 square-foot building will be constructed near the school’s main entrance. The auditorium’s design, which is based on similar projects done for 1,200 other schools around the country, includes 1,680 square feet of stage area and 4,720 square feet of seating area. The new auditorium will have 500 fixed seats and six wheelchair accessible seats, a backstage and storage area, a sound room, a lobby, and bathrooms. The project, funded by the Meals Tax, will cost an estimated $436,000. Construction began this past June and the building is set to be completed by September 2025.
• New auditorium at Brookland Middle School – A new stand-alone 10,850-square-foot auditorium building will be constructed next to Brookland’s gymnasium, with about 1,690 square feet of stage area and 4,700 square feet of seating area. The auditorium, which will be the same design used for the new auditorium at Tuckahoe Middle, will have 500 fixed seats and six wheelchair accessible seats. The design also includes a backstage and storage area, a sound room, a lobby and bathrooms. The project will cost an estimated $495,000, which will be covered by the Meals Tax budget. Construction of the auditorium is set to begin in January 2025 and estimated to be completed in the spring of 2026.
• New auditorium at Fairfield Middle School – A new stand-alone auditorium building, based on the designs for the new auditoriums at Tuckahoe and Brookland middle schools, is planned for Fairfield Middle and will be funded by the Meals Tax. Construction on the auditorium will likely begin after both projects at Tuckahoe and Brookland are underway. A construction timeline has not yet been released.
Planned long-term projects (using funding approved in the 2022 bond referendum) include the construction of renovation of four elementary schools:
• Renovation of Charles M. Johnson Elementary – $26.5 will be set aside to renovate Johnson Elementary, with construction set to begin during the 2025-2026 school year.
• New Fairfield area elementary school – A new elementary school in the Fairfield District is set to be constructed during the 2026-2027 school year for a total cost of $46 million.
• Rebuild of Highland Springs Elementary School – $45 million will be allocated for the rebuild of Highland Spring Elementary, which is set to begin during the 2027-2028 school year.
• New West End area elementary school – A new elementary school in the West End area will be constructed during the 2028-2029 school year at the cost of $48 million
* * *
Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
