Aurora builds $11M high school

Census estimates show that the population in the 65605 ZIP code, which includes Aurora and outlying rural areas, has grown 37 percent in the last five years.

To meet this demand, Aurora R-VIII Schools is in the process of building a new high school, set to open for classes in January.

Superintendent Dale Slagle said the original building was constructed in 1923.

The new $11 million high school will cover 126,000 square feet and house 550 students, allowing the system to alleviate an overcrowding problem plaguing all the system’s facilities.

“We were averaging about 25 (new) students per year – about 1 percent to 2 percent growth,” Slagle said. “We are overcrowded in our lower grades, and this new building will let us reconfigure those (buildings).

Once the main building of the old high school is demolished, the site will still have more than 30 usable classrooms, allowing junior high students to use that building.

Click here for the full story from April 10.