NEWS RELEASE: La Jolla Elementary School Celebrates Completion of New Classroom Building and Campus-Wide Upgrades

News Release

La Jolla Elementary School Celebrates Completion of New Classroom Building and Campus-Wide Upgrades

November 19, 2024

SAN DIEGO - Renovations at one of La Jolla's most historical elementary schools are officially complete.

La Jolla Elementary School (LJES) students joined teachers, families, and San Diego Unified School District leaders on Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with a patriotic performance and speeches.

Construction on the school's Whole Site Modernization project began in the winter of 2020, during the pandemic, at the 2016 National Blue Ribbon and three-time California Distinguished School.

"It's been a rewarding process of planning, designing, and constructing these much-needed improvements," said LJES Principal Stephanie Hasselbrink. "We are so thankful for our new facilities and for the construction workers who worked during the pandemic."

Funded through Propositions S & Z, and Measure YY, the project included a new student services and classroom facility, new kindergarten facilities, classroom modernizations, new collaboration spaces, an outdoor learning area, security upgrades, food service improvements, campus technology upgrades, exterior improvements, and an expanded parking lot with a student drop-off and pick-up area.

The new state-of-the-art facility creates a secure single point of entry at Girard Avenue and includes 10 general-education classrooms and an engineering and robotics maker space to boost STEAM learning. The playground includes new hardscape play areas and play structures, and the former field was replaced with a new grass playfield with a walking track.

"Every day I am inspired by our students, their curiosity, resilience, and potential," said Dr. Fabiola Bagula, Interim Superintendent for San Diego Unified. "This new classroom building, along with the other improvements we're unveiling today, are not just structures - they are investments in the future of our students, designed to ensure our students have the tools and resources to learn, grow, and succeed."

First opened in 1896, LJES was ranked the second-best California elementary school in 2022-2024 by the U.S. News and World Report and offers high-quality teaching and learning, along with a rigorous curriculum that includes GATE Cluster and GATE Seminar programs, an inclusive culture, an active parent community, and art, music, dance, and theater enrichment classes.

This project is one of several in the La Jolla, University City, and Mission Bay clusters. Currently, Pacific Beach Elementary, Spreckels Elementary, and Crown Point Junior Music Academy are all under construction.

"These bond measures are not just about bricks and mortar," said Dr. Cody Petterson, Board of Education Vice President for San Diego Unified. "They represent a shared commitment to the future of our children."

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