(Overland Park, Kan. – Sept. 2025) ― Students around the world are returning to campus for the new school year, many who are enjoying learning environments designed by DLR Group. Over 30 new DLR Group-designed schools will welcome their first cohort of students this fall. Those schools support 35,000 students through 4 million SF in new educational space. “This fall, thousands of students will begin their learning in a new or renovated environment, representing a significant year for our K-12 Education Studio,” says Principal and National K-11 Education Design Leader Jason Lembke, AIA, NCARB. “We are opening the doors to incredible facilities that transform the way students engage with their education, the way teachers inspire learning, and how communities interact with their schools. From coast to coast, these schools create a standard for teaching and learning that is future-focused and prioritizes student and teacher wellbeing.”
DLR Group is recognized globally for K-12 education design, DLR Group’s integrated design is activated through services like architecture, engineering, interiors, and planning. This process results in educational environments that empower learners and deliver transformational opportunities and fulfillment for all.
Learn more about some of the schools opening around the country, as well as other major headlines across DLR Group’s K-12 Education studio:
School Openings
• Ceylon K-8 Campus Denver Public Schools | Denver, Colorado | 120,000SF | 950 Students
Denver Public School’s Ceylon Campus offers adaptable and flexible spaces that foster collaboration. The Responsive Arts and STEAM Academy (RASA) provides students with space for inquiry-based learning.
DLR Group’s design is innovative, interactive, and adapts to the needs of students and educators through small learning communities (SLC). The meandering path that flows through courtyards and STEAM labs sparks students’ natural curiosity and guides them through their academic growth.
• Compton High School Compton Unified School District | Compton, California | 225,000 SF | 1,800 Students
Compton High School charts a new course for education for the Compton community. Supported by a $10 million gift from famed Compton resident, Dr. Dre, the 225,000 SF campus provides significant CTE and project-based learning opportunities for Compton students.
The 34-acre campus creates connections between its buildings. World-class athletics and performing arts facilities, including the Andrew 'Dr. Dre' Young Performing Arts Center, fuel Compton’s continued success in athletics and the fine art
• John Rogers Elementary School Seattle Public Schools | Seattle, Washington | 82,000 SF | 550 Students
As Seattle Public Schools’ first net zero energy school, John Rogers Elementary School achieves the district’s vision for its climate change, sustainability, and clean energy resolutions and policies. The design prioritizes the safety and well-being of students and faculty by utilizing intentionally designed spaces for passing conversations and moments of connection between students and staff.
The unique campus encompasses 82,000 SF of learning space to serve 500 students from PreK-5th grade. It incorporates landscape, play, and garden areas across the sprawling site.
• KRESA Career Connect Campus Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 162,000 SF | 2,400 Students
KRESA’s Career Connect Campus is the springboard to enrich career and technical education opportunities for high school students and adult learners across the state of Michigan. DLR Group’s flexible design accounts for both current and future career-based programs. The first phase consists of a two-story structure featuring high-bay spaces where students will master the skills of transportation and construction trades
Through a series of stakeholder workshops, students advocated for a sustainable facility that incorporates wood as a primary material in their learning environments. The Career Connect Campus features 115,000 SF of cross-laminated timber. This design solution provides an authentic biophilic feel and reduces carbon emissions overall, including by 29% in roof materials alone.
• Montlake Elementary School Seattle Public Schools | Seattle, Washington | 85,000 SF | 550 Students
Montlake Elementary School is situated in Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood, a place of cultural and historical importance to the Duwamish people represented today by the Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes. The design honors the site and incorporates themes that focus on holistic health, spirit of place, an inclusive neighborhood, and a resilient future.
The project entails a historic renovation and new addition on the second smallest site within Seattle Public Schools, requiring a compact, efficient building footprint. The solution accommodates more students and complements the district’s sustainability goals by reducing energy loads through improved mechanical systems and restoration and improvement of the historic building windows
• Olathe Innovation Center Olathe Public Schools | Olathe, Kansas | 200,000 SF | 1,500 Students
DLR Group’s partnership with Olathe Public Schools creates a centralized campus through adaptive reuse that empowers students to engage in authentic, hands-on learning alongside industry professionals. The design transforms a vacant call center into a dynamic hub for career and technical education that blurs the line between school and workplace.
The campus supports specialized programs including Culinary Arts, Health Science, Animal Science, Avionics and Electronics Technology (in partnership with Garmin), and adult
transition services. The new facility will also house special education programs for adults aged 18–21, the district’s mental health services, and professional development spaces.
• Pleasant Plains Elementary School Wake County Public Schools | Apex, North Carolina | 133,000 SF | 700 Students
Wake County Public Schools, the largest K-12 public school district in North Carolina, commits itself to creating learning environments that keep pace with the region’s rapid growth while fostering creativity and engagement. DLR Group’s design embeds interactive, developmentally appropriate experiences throughout the new elementary school.
The school features 64 teaching spaces, open collaborative areas, and child-scaled learning nooks that support engagement and exploration. Designed for flexibility, the layout accommodates diverse learning styles while prioritizing a stimulating and adaptable environment.
• Sageview High School Pasco School District | Pasco, Washington | 302,000 SF | 2,400 Students
Pasco School District’s goal was to design a space that fosters collaboration, celebrates diversity, and supports the holistic development of each student. DLR Group's design for Sageview High School achieves this by integrating flexible learning environments that empower students to explore their diverse interests.
The design emphasizes a connection to nature, with extensive use of wood and natural materials, maximizing transparency through exposed structural systems in common areas. Two-story learning suites with outdoor access provide flexible and collaborative environments. Key program spaces include a range of CTE programs such as Ag Tech, Horticulture, Culinary Arts, Fashion Design, and artistic disciplines like music, 2D & 3D art, video production, and animation.
DLR Group’s K-12 Education Influence Expands
The addition of Principal and National K-12 Education Interiors Leader Stacy Roth, NCIDQ, LEED AP, significantly bolsters DLR Group’s integrated design acumen. Roth’s ability to connect the built educational environment to elevated teaching and learning outcomes makes her a true thought leader in the industry.
Learn how Stacy’s career and advocacy in the A/E/C industry, specifically in education, creates a better educational experience for students across the country.
Stacy is a proven leader and respected amongst her peers. She brings a level of design expertise that not only elevates our K-12 Education interiors team but also impacts our interior design services at the firm level,” Audrey Kohen, NCIDQ, LEED AP Senior Principal, Global Interiors Leader
International Design – Jakarta, Indonesia
DLR Group is leading conceptual and schematic design for Yayasan Pendidikan Kader Bangsa Indonesia’s SMA IB Kemala Taruna Bhayangkara Boarding School Campus. The project broke ground in March and YPKBI anticipates students will start living and learning on campus next year.
The 13.3-hectare (33-acre) campus is located on the island of Java in West Java Province, 30km south of the capital city Jakarta. The co-educational school will accommodate 720
students in grades 10-12, as well as faculty and administrators. The design features a four-story academic commons with innovative learning communities, science and technology labs, visual and performing arts facilities, a dining hall, and indoor and outdoor athletic facilities. Other buildings include a library, welcome center, mosque, dormitories for students, and housing for faculty.
Palisades Fire Recovery
Los Angeles Unified School District and its community continue to rebuild from the devastating Palisades fires that ripped through the region at the beginning of the year. DLR Group has been tapped to lead design in rebuilding Palisades Charter High School, which was damaged in the fires.
About DLR Group DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This promise inspires sustainable design for a diverse group of public and private sector clients; local communities; and our planet. DLR Group is 100% employee-owned and fully supports the initiatives and goals of the 2030 Challenge and is an initial signatory to the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.
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