Construction starts work on new elementary school in Hampshire

Construction recently began on a new elementary school in Hampshire, Algonquin-based Community Unit School District 300 announced at a school board meeting Tuesday.

Algonquin-based Community Unit School District 300 currently has two elementary schools in Hampshire: Hampshire Elementary School at 321 Terwilliger Ave. and Wright Elementary at 1500 Ketchum Road.

The new elementary school is meant to be a proactive way to address capacity issues resulting from population growth in the western part of the district, district officials said.

District 300 is ranked as the sixth-largest school district in Illinois based on student enrollment. In 2020, it had 20,586 students, according to the Illinois Report Card.

The new school, which has not been named, is expected to have 500 students in preschool through fifth grade, primarily from the villages of Hampshire and Pingree Grove.

Measuring 86,260 square feet across two stories, the school will include 40 classrooms, a gym, a library, and a media center.

To mark the start of the building of the elementary school, a groundbreaking ceremony with village and district officials took place April 29.

The new building is estimated to cost $30.8 million, but the district said the school will not create an increased tax burden as the district plans to pay for it using its existing fund balance and the issuance of debt certificates, which will be paid back out of the district’s existing operating funds.

The school is set to open in August 2022.

Community members will get a chance to formally submit naming recommendations. At a future school board meeting, board members plan to provide residents with details on the naming process, such as the complete timeline, how to submit potential names and the selection criteria being used to make the final decision.