MUSD board may hire firm to design third middle school

Maricopa Unified School District’s governing board will consider hiring an architectural firm to plan and design a third middle school.

The board meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in its hearing room at the district’s administrative offices, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.

The state has funded $31 million to construct the school, a site for which is do be determined later this year. The board recently directed a site search committee to locate land options and make a recommendation.

The district will work with a broker to identify 25- to 30-acre parcels within district boundaries, said MUSD spokesperson Mishell Terry.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the next 12 to 15 months, with an expected opening in July 2026.

Site maps show land is allocated for new elementary and middle schools for the Amarillo Creek subdivision just south of city limits.

Proposals from Amarillo Creek developer Ashton Woods plan for new schools for the 175 acres where 600 homes are designated. The site is south of the Ak-Chin Indian Community bounded to the south of Peters and Nall Road, north of Papago Road, west of Green Road and east of Amarillo Valley Road.

The subdivision is projected to house about 1,560 residents when built out, officials said.

The school district based in Maricopa serves several communities outside city limits already, including Hidden Valley, Thunderbird Farms and Ak-Chin Village.