Foundation says it has reached fundraising goal for new school in Uvalde, Texas

Two-and-a-half years after the deadly school shootings in Uvalde, Texas, a local nonprofit has secured the final funding for a new school facility.

The San Antonio Express-News reports that the new Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District campus will replace Robb Elementary School, which has sat empty since the May 24, 2022, shooting that killed 19 fourth graders and two teachers. It is scheduled to open for the 2025-26 academic year.

The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation says it has reached its $60 million fundraising goal with a final investment of $24.5 million from Préstamos CDFI, Raza Development Fund and JP Morgan Chase.

Préstamos CDFI, a division of community development corporation Chicanos Por La Causa, donated $13 million to the Uvalde campus, named Legacy Elementary School.

"Some of our staff were directly impacted by the tragedy, and they continue to embrace and support the local community," said Jose Martinez, president of Préstamos CDFI and executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa.

Raza Development Fund, a support corporation for the civil rights organization UnidosUS, contributed $8 million. JPMorgan Chase contributed $3.5 million.

After the Uvalde massacre, Robb Elementary students were dispersed to other campuses. The Moving Forward Foundation has been working with the district on plans for a new elementary school since 2022. 

Legacy Elementary School will serve 800 students from second through fourth grades. A news release says the school was designed with "brain research and trauma-informed care in mind." The two-story facility will have 36 classrooms, an academic wing, a library, a dining hall, a gymnasium, mental health resources and state-of-the-art safety features.

It will also have a tree sculpture with two branches memorializing teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles and the fourth graders who were killed.