The aging Biltmore Preparatory Academy campus is getting schooled. Creighton School District is moving ahead with a voter-backed rebuild in Phoenix that promises modern classrooms, outdoor-friendly learning spaces and room for hundreds more students. The project leans heavily on the school’s award-winning Spanish dual‑language program and has drawn steady backing from parents, local builders and district leaders. District officials say the work will roll out in phases so students can keep attending classes on site while the new campus rises around them.
According to Creighton School District, voters signed off on an $85 million bond in November 2024 to cover capital projects across the district, with the Biltmore rebuild tagged as the next big-ticket item. The district’s schedule calls for planning and design during the 2025–26 school year, a construction start in summer 2026 and a target move‑in date for the new building in July 2027.
Design centers biliteracy and outdoor learning
Early renderings show a campus built to pull kids out of cramped classrooms and into flexible learning spaces. A large open courtyard sits at the heart of the design, anchored by a sweeping “learning stair” that doubles as amphitheater-style seating. Classrooms open to shaded outdoor areas, and a light-filled “learning cave” offers another spot for small-group work. The general contractor and design team plan to rebuild the campus in phases so instruction can continue, with capacity expected to grow from roughly 500 to about 750 students and construction wrapping up in late 2027, according to a project release from McCarthy Building Companies.
School leaders and volunteers say none of this is happening in a vacuum. “It takes a village to raise a child,” Creighton Superintendent Jay Mann told 12News. Ben Parker, the district’s director of construction, added that Creighton “wouldn’t be able to build new campuses without bond money that our voters support.” The station also reported that the district shifted roughly 10 percent of its available bond flexibility back into the Biltmore project to keep the original design vision on track.
What families will see this year
Creighton’s project page says families should expect a behind-the-scenes year of planning and design during the 2025–26 school year, followed by visible construction starting in summer 2026. The district is targeting July 2027 for moving into the new building. Officials say school operations and programming will stay up and running throughout construction, and they plan to post fresh renderings and construction updates on the district’s bond project page as work progresses.
Dual-language focus and neighborhood impact
Biltmore Preparatory Academy is home to the district’s Spanish dual‑language immersion program, which follows a 50:50 model that splits instruction between English and Spanish and enrolls roughly 550 students, according to Biltmore Preparatory Academy. Supporters say the rebuild will not only add capacity but also deliver new outdoor learning areas and STEM labs designed to deepen the school’s bilingual, biliterate focus.
Construction leaders say they plan to bring students into the process through site tours, hands-on demonstrations and art projects so the campus overhaul doubles as a real-time learning opportunity, according to the project team’s release from McCarthy Building Companies. Neighbors and parents are being urged to keep an eye on the district’s bond page for public meetings and volunteer opportunities as the campus transformation ramps up.
