The two-story middle school building will house all sixth through eighth grade classes, featuring听a state-of-the-art media and learning center, hands-on STEM labs,听a maker space, and dedicated rooms for music and the arts. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of SPS+ Architects, McCarthy Building Companies
- CESD鈥檚 new campus will feature a combined 86,000 square feet of learning space that celebrates Biltmore Prep鈥檚 dual immersion learning model听
- Through a phased approach, the campus will remain fully operational during construction of new buildings.听
- The project is scheduled to be completed in Winter 2027, with students transitioning to new classrooms in time for the 2027-2028 school year.听
PHOENIX听鈥� Creighton Elementary School District (Creighton) recently broke ground on a comprehensive campus replacement project for Biltmore Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, which will provide entirely new infrastructure to accommodate increased student populations and modernized, collaborative learning. Designed by SPS+ Architects and being constructed by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy), the project听aims to celebrate the unique biliterate learning culture and rich history of the Biltmore Prep community through a redefined campus design.听
District leaders described the听project听(Creighton鈥檚 first-ever active campus rebuild)听as听a historic milestone for听the听community.听听
鈥淥ur priority is ensuring that our students听remain safely engaged in their learning without missing a beat, even as a brand-new future rises right beside them,鈥� the district shared in a statement.听鈥淲e听aren’t听just building classrooms; we are creating a space that celebrates our rich, biliterate culture and mirrors the vibrancy of the Latin American heritages we honor every day.鈥�听
Biltmore Prep鈥檚 reimagined campus will听include a听brand-new administration and cafeteria building, and a two-story elementary classroom building with modernized K-5 classrooms. With its dual immersion teaching model, where students transition from English to Spanish learning throughout the week, every space has been thoughtfully designed with color and texture tied to the language of instruction. Students will associate the physical learning environment with the learning content.听
The two-story middle school building will house all sixth through eighth grade classes, featuring听a state-of-the-art media and learning center, hands-on STEM labs,听a maker听space, and dedicated rooms for music and the arts. The crown jewel is a 鈥榣earning stair鈥� 鈥� a large amphitheater-style staircase designed to provide flexible reading spaces, group听work听and collaboration for students.听
Each building will feature distinct, vibrant collaboration spaces, equipped with flexible seating to encourage students to engage in bilingual conversations and create opportunities for inspiration and creativity within these multicultural areas.听
Tying it all together, the campus will make听great use听of its existing multipurpose gymnasium (built in 2019) as a central hub for play and gathering throughout construction. All four buildings will frame a stunning central courtyard anchored by a larger outdoor learning stair as a key architectural feature, cascading from the second story of the elementary building into the courtyard. This feature will provide opportunities for outdoor classes, student performances, assemblies, and parent-teacher events.听
“The Creighton District started the project with a lofty goal, to go beyond the surface and embody biliteracy at a deeper level, in materials, spatial relations and site planning,鈥� said Morgan Ellis, K-12听Director at SPS+ Architects. 鈥淎s an architect, these are the projects we dream of.”听
The project听will also embrace opportunities to engage with students and staff in both Spanish and English,听as all communication and signage surrounding the project will be conducted in both languages.听
鈥淢cCarthy has had the honor of walking these halls, supporting this campus, and being a part of this community for years, and we are excited about this next chapter for BPA,鈥澨齭aid Project Director Paul Kubik.听鈥淓very time we take on a campus rebuild, we have the privilege of becoming ingrained into the school鈥檚 culture, and that runs especially deep here.鈥�听
With the project scheduled to complete around November 2027, the newly reimagined Biltmore Prep will celebrate the long-standing culture of the community while expanding the school鈥檚 capacity from听nearly 500听students and 60 staff to听roughly 750听students and 75 staff.听