Richardson ISD broke ground on the new Lake Highlands Middle School building Tuesday evening.

As part of the districtwide transition from a junior high school to middle school model, Lake Highlands is ground zero for the first new middle school. This will also mark the first time a new school was built in the neighborhood since Thurgood Marshall Elementary in 2004.

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During the groundbreaking ceremony, Richardson ISD Superintendent Tabitha Branum said many neighbors have shared special memories from the old campus, which was built in 1956.

“I’ve had several community members who have emailed me about little special places in the building that they hope we can preserve, or that they have a special memory,” she says. “And we want to make sure to honor that. All of those traditions and memories are going to transfer seamlessly to this new structure.”

Lake Highlands Junior High Principal Nick Rustin also shared a few words.

“The one thing I’m most excited about for the new building is truly the flexibility of the building,” he says. “We need to create creative, flexible multipurpose spaces that will change  with the landscape of education, and that’s what I’m so excited about.”

The new school will be designed by architectural design firm Perkins & Will and is anticipated to be a three-story building. Lake Highlands Middle School has a planned opening of August 2024.

Find a recap of the groundbreaking in photos below.