Dave Alley
GUADALUPE, Calif. – After several decades of planning, the City of Guadalupe finally has its long-planned brand new junior high school.
On Thursday, history was made when the first ever students walked onto the campus of Guadalupe Junior High School, marking the debut of the new school.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said 8th grader Jade Cabandong. “It’s a big upgrade, and I just feel welcomed here.”
Class started just before 8:30 a.m. beginning a new era in the small city that now has its first-ever school designated specifically for junior high school students, those who are in 7th and 8th grades.
“It has all the amenities for their particular needs,” said Guadalupe Union School District (GUSD) Superintendent Emilio Handall. “We’re excited to be able to provide that to our seventh and eighth graders, which give them the opportunity to be better prepared for their high school experience.”
The effort to build a third school campus to join Mary Buren Elementary School and Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School has been a goal GUSD has been working on for about 30 years.
“I am super excited about it,” said Dolores Rosas, who not only has a child attending the new school, she also works in the front office. “We’ve been waiting for it. I’m very happy for the whole community that we’re going to have a new junior high for them. I’ve lived here all my life. I grew up here, so to see this makes me very excited for our community.”
In January 2024, after gathering the necessary funding, groundbreaking took place on a 17.6 acre site located in the Pasadera housing community.
After a year-and-a-half of construction, work is still ongoing throughout the campus.
Landscaping is still needed around the property, grass on athletic field space is just in the process of being seeded and the front remains without a marquee sign.
Final touches also remain in progress in what is identified as the school’s centerpiece feature, it’s new gymnasium, which Handall noted meets all current California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) standards and requirements.
“There’s a lot of work that still has to be that has to be done esthetically,” said Handall. “It’s not as appealing as we want it to be. It’s certainly not the final product, but we have some brainstorming to do for the spaces. Some of the spaces that we see right now that are open are due to preparation for the future we place new classes on those pads that have already been set up. The spaces that are closest to the administrative building and closest to our are our roads need some development. We’re not sure if we’re going to put in grass. We’re not sure if we’re going to pave it over. We’re not sure yet, but we’re certainly looking for ideas.”
In addition to the junior high school, the campus also includes what will soon be the home of an entirely separate school on the far south end of the property.
GUSD will open its Early Learning Center (ELC) for three-year-olds and four-year-olds when construction is completed by the start of January 2026.
“We are super excited about that project coming online,” said Handall. “That facility is specifically designed for three-and-four-year-olds meeting their early learning needs. Those classes will become available after the winter break, so the second semester of the year, we will transition our current preschoolers and transitional kindergartners over to that campus with the the support of all of our staff.”
Once the ELC is complete, Mary Buren Elementary School will the district’s campus for kindergarten through 3rd grade, Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School will have 4th through 6th grade, while the junior high school will be for 7th and 8th graders.
Handall added the total cost of the two new schools will land somewhere between $50-to-$55 million and has been generated through a variety of sources, including state funds, four separate local bonds, federal appropriations and various donations.
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