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South Boise is getting a new elementary school of its own.
West Ada School District broke ground Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, at Lake Hazel Elementary on West Lake Hazel Road. Construction is already underway on a new campus behind the current building. The price tag is about $26 million. The school will use the same blueprint as Independence Elementary in Star, which West Ada opened earlier this school year.
The new building is expected to hold about 850 students, up from roughly 320 in the aging campus that has served the neighborhood for more than 50 years. Once the new school opens, the old building is set to come down. If construction stays on schedule, students walk into the new Lake Hazel for the first day of school in fall 2027.
Funding comes from Idaho House Bill 521, the 2024 state facilities package, not a new local bond. West Ada trustees approved the project in April after a parent and community planning committee recommended rebuilding on the existing site instead of renovating a building that would still fall short of future enrollment.
Students in yellow and blue, plus staff and neighbors, joined district leaders with shovels at the ceremony. Principal Kara Ritter told kids the construction site used to be part of their playground, and that in one year they would walk through new doors. Neighbors who have lived next door for decades said it will be hard to see the old school go, but they are glad kids will get better classrooms, heating, and cooling.
Stay tuned to Treasure Idaho for more coverage of schools and projects shaping South Boise and the Treasure Valley.
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Photo credit: 3D rendering courtesy of West Ada School District (same design as Independence Elementary in Star)
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