Six new schools will be opening for the 2023-2024 school year in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), according to an announcement from Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks today.
The schools are being built in just two and half years through the Alternative Construction Finance (ACF) program, an innovative public-private partnership being used to accelerate new school construction in the County.
PGCPS is the first public K-12 school system in the nation to utilize this approach to design, build, finance and maintain a school construction program in an effort to address its aging school infrastructure.
“We are excited to open six new schools this fall, providing state-of-the-art buildings conducive to learning for our students and staff,” said Alsobrooks. “When I took office, we had to find an innovative approach to address our school construction backlog. We’re proud that the first phase of this program has proven successful and delivered six new schools at record speed. We’re also proud that this school construction program is creating generational wealth by supporting our local and minority-owned businesses and our local unions. Overall, we’ve broken ground on 10 new schools in the past three years and look forward to breaking ground on even more new schools through the second phase of the ACF program.”
The first phase of the ACF program includes the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of five middle schools and one pre-kindergarten through grade 8 school in the County. The six schools include: Drew-Freeman Middle School in Suitland; Hyattsville Middle School; Kenmoor Middle School in Landover; Sonia Sotomayor Middle School in Adelphi; Walker Mill Middle School in Capitol Heights; and Colin L. Powell Academy in Fort Washington. These six schools total 8,000 new seats for PGCPS students.
Each of the new schools under the ACF program are equipped with science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) labs (3-D printers, etchers, robotics); a video production studio; smart boards in every classroom; voice amplification systems; parent resource rooms; community clinics; media centers; state-of-the-art dance, choral, orchestra, drama, and band rooms; state-of-the-art kitchens; art studios; a gymnatorium (stage in gym); multipurpose fields, and more. Each new school is also solar and electric vehicle (EV) charging ready, with solar installation anticipated by Fall 2024. In addition, Hyattsville Middle School is equipped with a black box theater to support its Creative and Performing Arts Program and Colin Powell Academy will also feature an elementary library, four pre-kindergarten classrooms, an auxiliary gym, and innovation lab.
Phase two of the ACF program is anticipated to cost approximately $700 million and deliver eight new schools, with the State of Maryland already pledging financial support.
