Located along the Colorado River, Somerton became one of Arizona’s fastest-growing cities without a high school, leaving students with long daily commute to neighboring communities and limited access to local education. This hampered their time for extracurricular activities, studying, after-school jobs, sleep, and exercise. With 170,274 square feet of buildings planned, Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) needed to address these challenges through a major school construction project.
Why school districts are rethinking educational infrastructure
School districts across the country are reevaluating their facilities and long-term infrastructure plans to better support student success and community needs. This shift is driven by enrollment changes, new technology, and rising expectations from families and residents.
Rather than simply maintaining existing buildings, institutions are planning and modernizing facilities to create safe, engaging, and flexible spaces for learning. By understanding the main drivers behind these changes, education leaders can make choices that help students succeed and strengthen community connections for the future.
Yuma Union High School District selected Arcadis to manage its capital expansion program, including the construction of the Somerton High School campus, which would provide a modern and safe learning environment for 1,600 students.
Since 2015, Arcadis and YUHSD have collaborated on several school building projects. We provided agency construction management, program management, and alternative delivery methods, including the construction manager at risk process, to bring the project team together early, improve cost certainty, and expedite project completion.
Students who once endured hour-long bus rides now have a convenient, safe, and modern school in their own community. With reduced commute times, they can focus on their studies, participate in extracurricular activities, and explore diverse career paths through the CTE program. The addition of Somerton High School has brought a strong sense of pride and enthusiasm among the students, their families, and the wider community.
Lessons for educational infrastructure leaders
For leaders in school infrastructure and planning, a few key lessons stand out. First, engaging stakeholders early and keeping the process transparent makes a real difference in project success. Districts can create more resilient learning environments by planning for flexibility and adaptability in both the physical campus and the way facilities are managed daily.
Investing in modern, sustainable, and future-ready infrastructure sets districts up for long-term success. Most importantly, focusing on the student experience and listening to community needs helps create school environments that are safe, inclusive, and truly supportive of healthy educational outcomes.
Arcadis acts as an extension of the Yuma Union High School District’s staff. We’re embedded with them, we think like them, and they rely on us as a trusted partner to provide guaranteed outcomes.
Create a better future with us
