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Illustrations courtesy of AndersonMasonDale
K-12 bond programs have made quite a name for themselves in Colorado. Dollars are traditionally used to make capital improvements, including building new schools as a response to growth within the community. Voters have consistently put their support behind Aurora Public Schools, and they sent a resounding message in the November
2024 election: more, please.
Thanks to our community’s support, the APS 2024 Bond Program will fund a new P-8 school in the Foundry development along the E-470 corridor. With Aurora’s growth along the eastern edge of the city, the school will allow families to have a sprawling 118,000 square foot campus right next door for their children.
“Our new school is designed with each child’s P-8 journey in mind,” APS Operations Director Kelly Forrest said. “Students will experience a learning environment that values strong relationships, academic excellence and personal growth.”
What promises to be a beacon of light for the Foundry community, the new P-8 will encompass several design concepts that will promote students’ ability to Power Their Potential, including:
- Two large music rooms to accommodate vocal and instrumental music
- Library with plenty of natural lighting and a media production room
- Performance platform that opens to the cafeteria and open gathering space, which can be also used for additional classroom space for drama or yoga
The P-8 model has picked up steam over the past decade-plus throughout APS, and leaders say having the mix of primary and secondary grades under one roof allows educators to better meet students where they’re at.
While alleviating overcrowding at nearby Murphy Creek P-8 and Harmony Ridge P-8, the new school, which our community will help name later this year, will be shaped by an array of guiding principles like Promoting Student Agency, Engaging Environment for Teachers
and Shaping Community Citizens.
“Most importantly, families should know that this school is committed to preparing students not just for the next academic step, but for life,” Forrest said.
Aurora Public Schools looks forward to opening the new P-8 at Foundry for the 2027-28 school year. For more information on this and other bond projects, please visit https://bond.aurorak12.org.