New High School Building
The Project:
The construction of a new 1000-student high school. The new high school would include an approximate 850-seat auditorium, PE practice fields, a football field, and an asphalt track.
Note: This is a graphical representation and may differ from the final design.
Timeline & Cost:
It is anticipated that the new high school would be constructed as two projects:
Project 1: An initial 800-student high school to open for the 2027-28 school year at an estimated cost of $58,000,000.
Project 2: A 200-student additional wing to be constructed as time and budgets allow, anticipated to open for the 2031-32 school year at an estimated cost of $7,050,000.
The Purpose:
This project addresses current and future capacity issues being experienced at the MS/HS campus and improves/expands programming opportunities for ADM High School students for years to come.
What The Committee Found:
The Facility Master Planning Committee found the current 1986 high school to be significantly undersized to meet current and future capacity and programming needs.
Due to increasing enrollment, ADM High School is currently using classrooms in the middle school for additional space. This is a solution that blurs the lines between buildings, mixes ages of students, and is a short-term solution that will become increasingly unworkable as overall enrollment continues to increase at both buildings in the years to come. Additionally, the current high school auditorium, strength and conditioning/fitness spaces, band and choir rooms, and wrestling spaces are undersized and inadequate to meet modern programming needs.
Increasing Enrollment at ADM High School
9-12 Grade Students in 1986: 354
9-12 Grade Students in 2023: 662
9-12 Grade Students in 2028: 765
9-12 Grade Students in 2031: 826
*Projections Completed by RSP & Associates
Decreasing Sq Ft Per Student (Projected Estimates)
Sq. Ft. Per Student 1986: 257
Sq. Ft. Per Student 2023: 148
Sq. Ft.Per Student 2028: 128
Sq. Ft. Per Student 2031: 118
Programming Limitations Currently Being Experienced
Undersized/Outdated Auditorium
Inadequate Weight Room/Fitness
Inadequate Band and Choir Spaces
Inadequate Wrestling Room
Capacity: The Facility Master Planning Committee analyzed the capacity of the ADM High School in two primary ways. The first analysis was completed by calculating the sq ft per student at ADM High School compared to the estimated sq ft per student at five other high schools in ADM’s Conference (Estimates completed by RFK and Associates). The chart below summarizes those findings.
The capacity of ADM high school was also studied by reviewing a 2018 study completed by RSP and Associates. At that time, the findings indicated that ADM High School’s desired educational capacity was 697 students. It is anticipated that ADM high school will exceed the desired educational capacity identified in 2018 near the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Take a Look: Review the images below to view current spaces that pose challenges and limit programming opportunities for students at ADM High School.
What The Committee Reccomended and Why:
The Facility Master Planning Committee developed and studied 7 scenarios, which included the construction of a new 5th-8th grade building, a new 6th-8th grade building, a new 7th-8th grade building, and a new 9th-12th grade building. Additionally, all scenarios included either the demolition, demolition and rebuilding, or the renovation of the 100-year old portion of the DeSoto three-story building.
Ultimately, the committee determined the construction of a new 9th-12th grade high school, the demolition of the three-story portion of the DeSoto Building - with the remaining portions of the building to become a Preschool Center, and updating the current MS/HS building to serve students in grades 5-8 to be the best use of district resources to meet the identified current and future needs of the district.
Learn More: View Seven Scenarios Studied Overview
Some of the reasons identified by the committee to construct a new 9-12 building rather than a different grade level configuration included:
This solution addressed the capacity challenges that were the main priority of the committee and allowed for future expansion at the 9-12 level if needed in the future.
This solution addressed the programming needs identified by the committee related to strength and conditioning spaces, band and choir spaces, and a new auditorium.
This solution allowed for the new auditorium to be constructed at the high school, which would allow students and teachers to maximize the use of the facility.
This solution would alleviate high school drivers and increased traffic at the current challenging intersection across from the Fareway entrance.
This solution would allow for new construction which could include proper traffic flow patterns and event parking.
The committee closely studied the financial investment of this scenario compared to the construction of a 5th-8th grade building (the other most deeply studied solution), and determined that constructing a new high school and the projects associated with this scenario would solve both short and long-term issues facing the district, and ultimately be in the best interest of the community, families, and students.
Learn More: View Bond 2023 FAQ
Location
On Tuesday, September 19, the ADM Board of Education approved a purchase agreement for the site of the proposed new high school building. The eighty-acre site is located on the south side of Adel just west of Hwy 169. See below for more information.
November 7, 2023 - ADM Community Schools residents will vote on a $58 million bond issue to complete four projects in the district’s 10-year facility master plan. A "YES" vote of 60% is required for the measure to pass.