Plans are now in the works for the construction of a new elementary school that will be a part of the large Tucson Unified School District.
The new school will go up within the boundaries of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and will replace an existing aging facility.
Located roughly 5 miles to the southeast of downtown Tucson, the Frank Borman K-8 School is a one-story structure opened in the spring of 1977 and named in honor of Air Force Colonel and astronaut Frank Borman, a long-time resident of the Grand Canyon State.
Officials with the Tucson school district have long wanted to replace the building which, because of its age, has several structural issues. To that end, the TUCD has been able to secure upwards of around $12 million to build a new school.
But now the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation under the auspices of the Department of War has announced the awarding of a $41.1 million grant for the project.
Funding for the grant more specifically is coming through the War Department’s Public Schools on Military Installations Program. According to federal figures there are currently around 160 such schools located on military bases across the country.
The original Borman school, with 27 classrooms, was built at a cost of $2 million.
October 30, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
