Editors Note: The article was updated to clarify that the Heritage Academy new school plans will not impact Molly’s House of Little Feet.

Heritage Academy submitted detailed plans for a new K–5 campus along Porter Road in Maricopa, with a target opening date set for fall 2026.  

The 7.46-acre site at 16540 N. Porter Road will initially serve elementary students in grades K–5 and includes provisions for future expansion, according to records filed with the city on July 30. The address shares a space with Molly’s House of Little Feet. According to architectural drawings, the new school will be build behind Molly’s, with the current building being unaffected. 

“We are here to stay,” said Molly’s House of Little Feet owner Amalia Clark on Facebook. “Working hard to maintain what I started in 2011!! We are only going to grow and improve our little school on our little lot!!! We welcome the change and hope to build a friendship with our neighbors Whom ever they shall be.”

Planning documents show the school will feature a two-story, 65,930-square-foot main building with classrooms, a library, gymnasium, administrative offices, kitchen and support areas. A separate future two-story building totaling 22,000 square feet is also planned to accommodate additional grade levels or instructional uses.  

Added together, that is about 1.5 times the size of an NFL football field. 

The property is zoned for light industrial and general business. Despite that, the project narrative states the school will be developed under Arizona statute §15-189.01, which exempts charter schools from municipal zoning and design review in many cases. The city will, however, retain jurisdiction over right-of-way and off-site infrastructure improvements, according to the documents.  

The site will include 214 parking spaces, a play field of approximately 62,715 square feet and separate K–5 play areas totaling more than 16,000 square feet. New retention basins will be installed to manage stormwater runoff in accordance with local engineering standards.  

Construction will extend to the roadway as well. Plans call for a new median cut with a dedicated left-turn lane for southbound traffic on Porter Road. A dedicated drop-off zone will feature three vehicle queuing lanes totaling 4,500 linear feet, designed to minimize off-site traffic congestion. Entry and exit drives will provide safe circulation, and the existing driveway and parking area at the south end of the site will remain. 

Carhuff+Cueva Architects submitted drawings to the city that show a two-story structure featuring general classrooms, special education classrooms, a music room, art studio, computer lab and piano room, along with an indoor gymnasium, nurse’s office, teacher’s lounge and various administrative spaces.  

This comes as Maricopa Unified School broke ground on a new K-8 elementary school, with a second in the planning steps.  

InMaricopa wrote about the plan to bring Heritage elementary education to Maricopa in 2023.   

The new Heritage elementary school will operate on a four-day school week, mirroring Heritage Academy’s junior high and high school campuses, and will require students to wear uniforms.  

While construction timelines have not yet been formally announced, open enrollment is scheduled to begin November 1 for the 2026–2027 school year. Families can join an interest list to receive updates and enrollment reminders.  

To answer community questions, Heritage Academy will host a public information session on September 16 at 7 p.m. at its existing Heritage Academy Maricopa 6–12 campus. The session will give residents the opportunity to meet school leaders and ask questions directly to administrators. 

Job postings for the new campus are expected to go live next month. 

The new Maricopa K–5 campus will be the latest addition to its growing roster of schools. Heritage Academy currently operates schools in Mesa, Glendale, Queen Creek, Laveen and Maricopa.