Lone star trails elementary

Expected to Open:

August 2025

Mascot:

Armadillos

Square Footage:

92,500 Sqft

Total Site Area:

10.3 Acres

Student Capacity:

830

Summary:

  • 40th Midland ISD campus located in the Lone Star Trails area of Midland.
  • Serve Pre-K through 6th grade, and upon grade reconfiguration in 2028, Pre-K through 5th grade.
  • The school colors will be red, white, and blue, reflecting the district's commitment to honoring the community's input during the bond campaign.
  • The school’s design will be similar to Fasken and Yarbrough elementary schools.
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Current Enrollment:0

In the News:

Midland ISD Announces the Name and Mascot for New Elementary School

Midland ISD Board approves Lone Star Trails Elementary Armadillos

September 18, 2024 – Following the successful passage of the 2023 Midland ISD Bond, plans for a new elementary school in the Lone Star Trails area are well underway. The 92,500 square-foot school is on track to open in August 2025. The campus will initially serve Pre-K through 6th grade, and upon grade reconfiguration in 2028, Pre-K through 5th grade.
To determine the new school’s name, mascot, and logo, a committee was formed in accordance with district policy. Members of this committee were nominated by Midland ISD school board members to represent their respective districts. MISD teachers were also invited to express interest in joining the committee through a district-wide email, and the interested teachers were then chosen randomly. A total of three meetings were held in August before finalizing the recommendation for the new elementary.
Community engagement played a crucial role in the naming process. A community-wide survey was distributed through various platforms including social media, newsletters, and the MidlandBond2023.com website, encouraging residents to submit nominations for the school’s name and mascot.
After reviewing and voting on the nominations, the committee selected “Lone Star Trails Elementary” as the school name and “Armadillos” as the mascot. Committee members participated in anonymous voting, and the choice of “Armadillos” as the mascot was unanimous. The name “Lone Star Trails Elementary” received a majority vote from the committee.
The school’s colors will be red, white, and blue, reflecting the district’s commitment to honoring the community’s input during the bond campaign. 
The Midland ISD Board of Trustees officially approved the committee’s recommended name and mascot during its regular board meeting on September 17, 2024.
“The naming process was an exciting time,” said Morgan Robertson, principal of Lone Star Trails Elementary. “The naming committee had great discussions, and we were able to keep a clear focus on the task to determine the name, mascot and logo for the new elementary. Being the principal at Midland ISD’s 40th campus is surreal, and I enjoy new and challenging learning opportunities. This monumental event of opening a new school does not happen often, and getting to be a part of it from the ground up has been an amazing experience! I look forward to learning more throughout the year and ensuring Lone Star Trails Elementary and our families have a wonderful opening of school in August of 2025.”
Committee members were in attendance at the school board meeting and were excited to see their recommendation become reality. 
“Serving on the elementary school naming committee was a truly fun process,” said committee member Beth Garza. “It was a big responsibility as well, as we went thoughtfully through every submission, both for the name and the mascot. After narrowing the selections down, we felt that our choices represented both the input from the city and West Texas very well. I can’t wait to cheer on our new school.”

MISD breaks ground on new elementary school

First campus to begin work following bond approval

June 4, 2024 — Midland ISD broke ground on its new elementary school Tuesday morning, marking the first step in the construction of 2023 bond projects. The new 92,500 square foot school building will accommodate up to 830 students in the area of the Lone Star Trails subdivision in northeast Midland.

Construction will begin immediately, with a targeted opening date of August 2025. The campus will initially serve pre-k through sixth grade, and transition to pre-k through fifth grade when the district reconfigures with the opening of new secondary campuses in 2028.

The design of the new school will be similar to those of Yarbrough and Fasken Elementary Schools, which were built following the passage of the 2012 bond. Architects and designers collected feedback from teachers and staff from those campuses to enhance functionality and efficiency, which include minor floor plan modifications and increased parking.

“We are so fortunate to be in Midland at this time when Midlanders have and are investing in education,” said MISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Howard. “I want to thank the Midland community for saying and voting yes! Thank you for investing in the future of our students.”

Participants in the ceremonial groundbreaking included MISD executive leadership staff, Board of Trustees, representatives from Parkhill architects and MW Builders, as well as students who will be attending the school when it opens next year.

“This school will be more than just a building,” said Morgan Robertson, who has been tabbed as the school’s first principal. “It represents a bright future for MISD students- I’m excited to be a part of it!”

The new elementary school addresses multiple initiatives including safety and security, grade reconfiguration, and population growth in Midland.

A committee to name the campus will convene this summer.

Trustees approve architect for new high schools

Work underway at site of new elementary school

January 17, 2024 — Work is already underway on Midland ISD’s new elementary school, and on Tuesday at its January meeting, Trustees made several decisions related to making Bond 2023 projects a reality.

Future Elementary

This past week, crews were at the future site of the new elementary school taking soil samples, which is a step in determining what’s necessary for the facility’s foundation. The new school is being built in the Lone Star Trails area, generally located in northeast Midland.

District leaders, the bond program manager and campus representatives from Special Education, Child Nutrition Services, Transportation and Technology, as well as the current principals from Fasken and Yarborough elementary schools, met for a kickoff meeting to discuss the new school and areas where the design can be improved. 

The school will be similar in design to Fasken and Yarborough, so gathering feedback from campus representatives currently working in these buildings was a critical step in improving the design.

The new elementary school is on track to open in August 2025.

Architecture & Engineering Selection

Trustees approved a pool of 12 qualified architecture and engineering firms to be considered for professional design services on projects related to the 2023 Bond Program. 

A selection committee made up of district leaders evaluated 18 submissions to determine its recommendation for the pool. The committee based its recommendation on each firm’s overall experience with similar projects, specific experience of proposed project team members, capacity to perform the projects within the bond program timeline given their intended scale, experience in the Midland area and past relationship with the district. 

Trustees approved Pfluger Architects as the firm from the approved pool to design the district’s new Legacy High and Midland High school projects.

Other firms in the pool are Parkhill, WRA Architects, MWM Architects, Jacob & Martin, DLR Group, Vandergriff Group Architects, JSA Architects, Chapman Harvey Architects, JDMA Architects, Corgan and PBK Architects.

Surveying & Geotechnical Services Selection

Trustees also approved a pool of vendors for surveying and geotechnical services. Surveyors selected to be considered for 2023 Bond Projects are Centurion Planning & Design, Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, KMCE, Dunaway Associates, Halff Associates and Maverick Engineering. 

For geotechnical services, CQC Testing & Engineering, Millennium Engineers Group, Terracon, Magrym Consulting and Terra Testing were approved. 

Bond Underwriting

Twenty-two submissions were submitted for the bond underwriting pool. Once the reviews have been completed by district administrators, the pool of bond underwriters will be presented to the board at the February board meeting.

 

The bond order will be presented at the February board meeting.

 

MISD board approves architect for new elementary school

Requests for quotes issued for architects, underwriters and surveyors

December 20, 2023 — The Midland community in November passed a $1.4 billion bond referendum that will see new high schools, a new elementary school and improvements at campuses across Midland ISD. A month later, work has already begun.

The MISD Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Tuesday, received an update on the progress underway. 

New Elementary School

Trustees voted to approve the hiring of architecture and engineering services firm Parkhill for the new elementary school to be built in the fast-growing Lone Star Trails area of Midland.

Parkhill is the same firm that was chosen for the construction of Fasken and Yarbrough elementary schools last decade, and the new school’s design will be similar to these facilities. This saves money in the design and construction phases and speeds up the construction timeline. 

Plus, the design has been very popular with teachers, students, and staff. It implements a “neighborhood” model, whereby each grade has its own dedicated space that includes restrooms, moveable walls to enlarge classrooms when needed, and a common area.

Requests for Quotes

Several RFQs have been issued.

Scoring of the submissions from architects and engineers is currently underway, and a pool of firms will be brought to trustees in January for consideration of approval. Trustees approved Parkhill as the program manager in November. 

An RFQ for underwriting services has also been issued, and responses are due Dec. 21. A committee will score the responses and bring them to the board for consideration of approval in February. Discussions concerning bond sales will begin after underwriters have been selected.

MISD has issued an RFQ for surveying and geotechnical services, and a pool of vendors will be brought to the board for consideration of approval in January.

Bond Advisory Committee

The committee held its first meeting in November, where its 24 members received reports on District Operations, Finance, and communications efforts. The committee will meet quarterly.

The advisory committee, as well as the bond planning committee, were recognized at the December trustees meeting for their dedication to this massive undertaking that will reshape education in Midland for decades to come.