Construction set to begin on $85 million middle school in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Construction of an $85.5 million 550-student middle school in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is set to begin later this month.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that the middle school will be a two-story building with a courtyard in the center. The design was selected from Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) models and has been used three times, mostly recently for Goodnow Brothers Elementary School in Marlborough.

Construction of the 105,000-square-foot building is expected to last 18 months; an opening is planned for fall 2025.

The new middle school will replace the poorly designed, energy-inefficient William R. Peck Middle School that no longer meets the needs of a modern education, the district says. Demolition of the William R. Peck School has been completed.

MSBA will contribute $57.6 million of the proect cost, and Holyoke will pay an estimated $27 million.