Future of Hamilton Schools

Dedicated to Excellence in Education

We are seeking solutions for the future of Hamilton Public Schools

The Hamilton School District is planning for the future of our schools, a process that began in 2021. A committee of students, teachers, parents, local business owners and community members have been working together with the district and A&E Design to guide the planning process. Together, we have explored various scenarios for the future of the middle school and ways to improve safety and security concerns at the existing high school, while also providing additional space for community use.

Finding the best solutions for our schools is a community process, and we seek your input to guide our next steps.

Student success depends on adequate learning environments.

  • Studies have shown that students in classrooms designed with proper daylighting test between 7 and 18% higher than those without. Students in mobile, windowless classrooms saw test scores drop by 17%.

    CITE: Johns Hopkins Medicine, “How Time in Nature Boosts Learning in the Classroom” by Ed Decker

  • One study involving more than 21,000 elementary students across three states found that students in the sunniest classrooms improved 26% faster in reading and 20% faster in math than those with the least daylight.

    CITE: Landscape & Urban Planning Journal, “How is environmental greenness related to students’ academic performance?” by Leung, Pan, Wu, Lung, and Spengler

  • In schools with optimal daylight allowance and controlled sunlight in all major occupied spaces, attendance increased 3.2-3.8 days per year compared with attendance at schools with inadequate daylight.

    CITE: Terrapin Bright Green, “The Economics of Biophilia” by Terrapin Bright Green Partners & Staff

  • Children who grow up with greener surroundings have up to 55% less risk of developing various mental disorders later in life.

    CITE: Aarhus University, “Being Surrounded by Green Space in Childhood may improve Mental Health in Adults" by Postdoc Engemann, Professor Pedersen, & Professor Svenning

From insufficient natural light to necessary mechanical upgrades and security issues, the current middle school is no longer equipped to provide learning environments for students to thrive.

Updating the middle school, along with components of the high school, will bring learning spaces up to current education standards and provide a safe environment for students, staff and parents.

The Goal:

Bring the middle school up to equitable standards with other schools in the district.

  • Improve student development by providing spaces that can accommodate individual learning, one-on-one learning and group learning.

  • Design spaces for longevity and that are adaptable to a variety of student activities.

  • Provide green space for outdoor learning, play, sport activities and exploration.

  • Ensure schools are accessible and inclusive and maintain Hamilton pride.

  • Create flexible, multi-use space for facility, students, staff and the community.

Photos are of existing Middle School facilties

The Goal:

Create a safe and secure environment for students within existing facilities.

  • Eliminate students traveling between two buildings.

  • Improve pick-up and drop off circulation along with traffic concerns.

  • Eliminate multiple access points and implement proper monitoring devices (surveillance, door access, etc.).

  • Ensure site access and site circulation is pedestrian and biker friendly.

  • At the high school, the entrance and admin areas need to be updated to create a safe and secure entry sequence.

Photos are of existing Middle School and High School facilities

The Goal:

Address maintenance and operational concerns within the existing middle school.

  • Update outdated mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

  • Ensure system improvements are easily maintained and replacement equipment and parts are readily accessible.

  • Institute system improvements that efficiently control heating, ventilation, and smoke.

  • Provide a high performance facility where possible that includes natural light, proper ventilation, LED lighting, energy efficiencies, and more.

Photos are of existing Middle School facilities

The Goal:

Impacting communities through shared space.

This planning process reaches beyond the classroom. It impacts everyone in the community from students, teachers and staff to parents, local business owners and retirees.

  • Providing facilities for educational opportunities for community members.

  • Attracting and retaining residents.

  • Creating economic growth by attracting businesses and providing entrepreneurial opportunity.

Photos are of Hamilton Community Events

Together, what can we achieve?

Bringing learning spaces up to current education standards and providing a safe environment for students, staff, parents and community members is a group effort. Together, we must explore various scenarios.

Middle School

Provide an improved and equitable learning environment for the middle school. As various opportunities have been explored over the past few years the district is now looking, in depth, at an extensive renovation/addition to the existing middle school or building a new facility on the Westview property.

High School

Address the various safety and security issues at the existing high school and update the main entrance to provide adequate admin oversight and security.

Community Use

Community engagement and collaboration is a priority for the district. As part of this planning process the district is exploring various opportunities to provide community space. This includes space within the new/existing school as well as additional amenities.

Learning Environments of Today

  • Tumwater Middle School - Portland, OR

  • Medicine Crow Middle School - Billings, MT

  • Alderwood Middle School - Lynnwood, WA

  • Discovery High School - Camas, WA

  • Ben Steele Middle School - Billings, MT

  • Eastvale STEM Academy - Eastvale, CA

  • Elder Grove Middle School - Billings, MT

  • Blue School, New York, NY

  • Ben Steele Middle School - Billings, MT

  • Kellogg Middle School - Portland, OR

  • Elder Grove Middle School - Billings , MT