School’s Mix of Metal Reflects Forward-Thinking Education Approach
Belton High School, located in Belton, Texas, along the fast-growing Austin-Waco corridor, was bursting at the seams in May 2018 when the Belton Independent School District’s board approved spending for a second high school. Enrollment was approaching 3,300 students and growth projections saw this number rising to 4,500 by 2023. The new school, now open, features an exterior design that mixes traditional and contemporary materials – and which mirrors the forward-thinking educational programs happening within its walls.
Given the area’s rapid population growth, Lake Belton High School in Temple, Texas, likely will be joined by additional high schools in the district during the next decade – but it could be a model for those future efforts. In the year following the school’s opening, overall district enrollment grew by 5.8 percent, or 733 additional students. And 2021’s total of 13,300 students is expected to expand to more than 19,000 by 2031. Lake Belton’s plan is organized to support flexible learning spaces for four separate “learning communities,” an approach that’s at the forefront of secondary education design today.