Pasco School District is scheduled to open its third comprehensive high school in the fall of 2025. 

The new 299,413-square-foot facility will be able to hold 2,000 students, helping ease overcrowding in a district that’s experienced more than a decade of dramatic growth and that already boasts the first- and sixth-largest high schools in the state: Chiawana and Pasco high schools. 

The new school will cost about $185 million, with nearly $140 million coming from the bond measure approved by district voters in February. About $45 million will come from state matching dollars. 

Pasco was the only district in the state to pass a bond during the February or April elections, Superintendent Michelle Whitney said Aug. 17 during a groundbreaking for the new high school. 

“It’s an extraordinary testament to this community’s commitment and investment in our youth,” she said. “This groundbreaking symbolizes our investment in the future of schools and our commitment to providing an equitable education experience for all students. Together, we build bright futures.” 

The new school at 6091 Burns Road will sit on 65 acres and have 82 classrooms, plus other features.  

It’ll be similar to Chiawana and Pasco high schools in size, program offerings and extracurricular activities. It’ll offer a full continuum of Career & Technical Education (CTE) classes, with a focus on agriculture. "This dedication is preparing our students for practical and real-world skills in this vital industry (and) emphasizes our dedication to their growth and success in their future,” said Mira Gobel, assistant superintendent of schools and social emotional learning. 

Raquel Martinez has been selected as the planning principal. 

The public will have a say in the school’s name.  

Name suggestions are due by Aug. 21 for the new comprehensive high school and for the small innovative high school set to open in 2025 on Salt Lake Street in east Pasco, near Marie Curie STEM Elementary School.  

That smaller school — which will be a college and career academy, with about 600 students — also is part of the bond, along with athletic field and facility improvements, CTE enhancements and modernizations, and land purchases. Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2024. 

Crews already are working at the site of the new comprehensive high school. 

Fowler General Construction is the contractor and MMEC Architecture & Interiors handled the design.