Construction crews are hard at work this summer across Platte County R-3 School District facilities as part of the ongoing improvements funded by the $62 million zero-tax-rate-increase bond issue passed in April.
Projects at multiple school campuses were put into motion earlier in the summer break, with several scheduled for significant progress before students return in August.
At Pathfinder Elementary, students from the school’s Student Lighthouse Team helped ceremonially break ground for a new playground in early May. Construction began early this summer with plans to install new play structures designed to serve all grade levels, located south of Pathfinder Elementary, and will feature a mix of hard and soft play areas along with fencing. The project is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Over at Platte Purchase Middle School, foundational work is nearing completion for a new concession stand, restrooms and storage facilities at the school’s activities complex. The building pad has been installed and footings poured with crews preparing to begin mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in the coming weeks before opening by the end of September.
A major overhaul is just beginning at Platte County High School as part of Phase 2 of the campus renovations to consolidate its high school under one roof after the completion of Phase 1. The first phase of the project, completed in 2022, consolidated dining into a single cafeteria, built a two-story, 26-classroom wing, as well as Pirate Fieldhouse with locker rooms and support spaces.
Phase 2 began in early June with the demolition of the southern portion of the existing high school, making way for the construction of 50 new classroom spaces, including specialized areas for engineering, marketing, business, sciences, and a media center. It will also bring a new performing arts wing near the Wilson Center featuring expanded art, band and vocal rooms, a black box theater, and a public-facing entry to the auditorium.
In the meantime, the district will relocate its band, vocal and theatre programs into the Paxton building to clear space for upcoming construction. Phase 2 is expected to continue over the coming years, with the original portion of the high school expected to be deconstructed during the second semester of the 2026-27 school year with the completion projected by January 2027.
The original high school building, which opened in 1963, will be deconstructed in the second semester of the 2026–27 school year. The district is planning an all-class reunion with farewell tours of the building as part of Homecoming festivities in fall 2026.
Included in the high school project is a complete replacement of the school’s 400-meter, eight-lane all-weather track, originally installed 25 years ago. Crews began work on the new track in mid-May, where they began with soil stabilization and fine grading to prepare for concrete curbs, asphalt and paving later this month. The new surface is expected to be completed by early August.