Osseo Schools plan new elementary, expanded high school in Maple Grove

Osseo Area Schools plans to build a new elementary school in northwest Maple Grove and have the building ready for the 2026-27 school year.

The yet-to-be-named school will serve students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade on a site near 101st Avenue and Arbor Ridge Parkway. The 125,000-square-foot building will have a capacity for 1,025 students, according to an update from the school district.

Osseo will spend $60 million on the school, with the funding approved by voters in November. The two-story building will feature "learning studio" design, where each grade level has its own space that includes classrooms, a large resource area, small group rooms and a bank of restrooms. A media center will be anchored in the center of the building.

The district plans to bid the project in January 2025. This is the first new elementary the district has built since Woodland Elementary in Brooklyn Park opened in 2002, said district spokeswoman Kay Villella.

Not far away, the district will spend $56 million to expand Maple Grove High School. The work there includes a three-story classroom addition, an expanded cafeteria, band and choir space, athletic and locker rooms and a remodeled media center. The updates will also include a secure entrance requiring visitors to pass through the front office before entering the building, according to designs.

In all, the district will add 65,750 square feet to the building and renovate 34,000 square feet of existing space. When complete, the school at 9800 Fernbrook Lane will have capacity for 2,730 students, up from 2,185. Work is scheduled to begin in May 2025 and run through August 2027.