Plans are underway for the construction of four new schools in a geographically diverse district on the northwest side of El Paso.
In May of last year voters in the Canutillo Independent School District, by a close 51% to 49% margin, approved up to $387 million in bonds for a series of facility projects.
The largest such bond ever approved in El Paso County, the proposal called for funding the installation of new heating and cooling systems and roof replacements in all the district’s facilities, as well as new districtwide safety and security systems.
But the most talked-about aspect of the bond proposal centered on new school construction at various locations within the district.
The largest project, at $106.8 million, will see the building of the Jose J. Alderete Middle School at a 20-acre site at the intersection of Resler Drive and Cimarron Canyon Drive. Design work for the building, which is expected to house 1,000 students, is currently underway, with construction expected to launch later this spring.
Also funded at $106.8 million is the construction of the new Canutillo Middle School at 6201 Strahan Drive. That facility, too, will have a 1,000-student capacity, and is currently in the design process. The project is being built at the site of a former horse farm.
Next up, at $74 million, is the construction of the Deanna Davenport Elementary School, near the intersection of Northwestern Drive and Hunter Foster Drive. Design work on the school, slated to serve 800 students, is already underway, with plans for actual work to begin this coming October.
Design work is also underway for the construction of the Northwest Early College High School at 6701 S. Desert Boulevard. That $40.5 million project will replace an existing portable village. The new school is set to have a 600-student capacity and will see construction launch most likely in August.
The Canutillo school district encompasses a portion of El Paso, as well as the towns of Canutillo, Prado Verde, Vinton, and Westway.
January 17, 2025
By Garry Boulard
