Arcadia Unified School District and Erickson-Hall Construction Co. have broken ground on a new building, dubbed Building H, and a Performing Arts Center at Arcadia High School.
The two buildings are aimed at providing students with modern spaces to learn. The project, estimated to cost more than $56 million, is expected to be completed in August 2027 and is being funded through Measure AS.
“These facilities ensure that when students are collaborating in the classroom or practicing on stage, they’ll get incredible, hands-on learning experiences,” Lauren Cienfuegos, public information officer for the school, said in a statement.
Building H will replace 14 portable classrooms with a 14,700 square-foot, two-story building and will have dedicated labs for robotics, engineering, food science, art and ceramics. It will also feature an outdoor ceramics yard, a general classroom and extra lab storage.
The Performing Arts Center Annex, meanwhile, will have a scene shop, costume shop and storage space for classrooms spread across 5,900 square feet.
“We want to build an environment to match the talent of students at Arcadia High School,” Mat Gates, president of Erickson-Hall, said in a statement. “By replacing older structures with specialized classrooms and dedicated art spaces, we are proud to create a campus that supports both academic innovation and creative excellence for generations to come.”
Schools are busy
Several K-12 schools in Los Angeles are planning or have completed large-scale upgrades for their campuses.
In 2024, Angelenos approved a $9 billion bond to renovate Los Angeles Unified School District schools around the city. Last year, LAUSD’s $196 million renovation, which began in 2019, wrapped at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Valley Glen. The updates included the addition of labs, state-of-the-art classrooms and a renovated auditorium space. Other recent projects include Dahlia Heights Elementary in Eagle Rock, which underwent an $18.6 million upgrade with a five-classroom building replacing portable classrooms. The project also included a new playfield.
Washington Irving Middle School Math Music Engineering Magnet in Glassell Park has planned a $173 million modernization.
Erickson-Hall Construction Co. is also working on a few school projects in the area. To date, it has completed $4.3 billion worth of K-12 and higher education developments.
Some of its projects include Hermosa Valley School Modernization, a $10.5 million project expected to start in February; the nearly $17 million Lincoln Middle School 500 Building Modernization project in Santa Monica, which will wrap this summer; and the $25 million Rancho Starbuck Intermediate School Performing Arts Center, which will wrap in 2027.
