Kennewick’s fifth middle school opened its doors to students Jan. 4.

The $40.07 million Chinook Middle School is 110,400 square feet and features 37 classrooms, two gyms, fitness lab, library, cafeteria, orchestra, band room, flexible performance spaces, five computer labs and sports fields, including the Tri-Cities’ second middle school track (The new Desert Hills Middle School has the other.)

Chinook Middle School at 4891 W. 27th Ave., north of Southridge High School, is visible from Southridge Boulevard.

The school can accommodate 900 students and features the same design as Desert Hills on Clodfelter Road.

Chinook is Kennewick School District’s fifth middle school. Its students started the year at the old Desert Hills Middle School site and moved to their new building after they returned from holiday break.

The district’s capital projects team oversaw the project with Doug Carl serving as director.

The contractor was Fowler General Construction of Richland. Jeff Durfee was project manager. Pasco’s Strategic Construction Management Inc.’s David L. Robison also helped oversee the project.

The architect was Design West of Kennewick. Brandon Wilm was project architect.

The Kennewick School District is the largest school district in the Tri-Cities, serving more than 18,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. District officials said they have a supportive community invested in providing schools and facilities that create an optimal learning environment for students.