HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]
HUTTO — Work on Hutto Independent School District’s eighth elementary school is underway.
The district hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Lee Martinez Elementary School Friday, May 17, at the school’s construction site.
The namesake served as a Hutto ISD bus driver for over 20 years.
“Today’s groundbreaking is proof that you can leave a lasting impact on generations of people no matter what your background, your title, the degree you hold or the position you have,” Hutto ISD Board President Billie Logiudice said. “Mr. Martinez modeled the value of inspiring excellence in all things, and his legacy will forever be felt in our community.”
LMES is scheduled to open in time for the 2025-2026 school year and is adjacent to the Hutto Ninth Grade Center, near 301 Destiny Lane.
It is the first new school to be constructed as authorized by voters as part of the $522 million 2023 Bond program. LMES will serve 800 students in pre-K through fifth grade, according to district information.
In addition to the core educational spaces, LMES will include a Little Hippos Daycare Center as part of the overall campus project to provide early childhood learning opportunities for more than 100 enrollees.
Design features and highlights include general learning areas with collaboration neighborhoods, exterior playscapes and learning courtyards to allow for extracurricular and outdoor learning activities, a centralized library with learning commons and a combined gymnasium and multipurpose cafetorium.
“Lee Martinez Elementary School will foster a community of engaged learners where our youngest learners will grow through play, development and hands-on experiences,” said Cara Malone, interim superintendent. “It will serve as a facility that our staff and community can be most proud of.”
Hutto ISD said the school will provide enrollment relief for the north-central areas of the district, primarily Hutto Elementary and Cottonwood Creek Elementary, which have exceeded functional capacities due to the rapid growth of student enrollment in the district.
Martinez’s relatives, school board members, district administrators, CORE Construction Inc. representatives and LPA Architects were present at the groundbreaking.
