WHAT: Groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a new, state-of-the-art campus to replace the aging facilities.
WHEN: Friday, June 9 at 10:00am
WHERE: Nicholas Elementary Elementary, 6601 Steiner Drive, Sacramento, CA 95823
VISUALS: Elected and school officials will break ground with a shovel ceremony and make remarks. Students will be on hand for the event including a 2nd Grader who will be young enough to return to the school when the brand new campus re-opens in Fall 2025.

Sacramento, CA - Sacramento City Unified School District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, June 9, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. to begin construction of a new campus at the site of Nicholas Elementary School. The new Nicholas Elementary will be among the first new schools constructed in Sac City Unified in nearly two decades. When completed in Fall 2025, the ultramodern campus will feature an oversized multipurpose room, a STEAM lab, a community room, several shade canopies, a U14 soccer field, and an overall focus on energy efficiency and environmental conservation.

The age, location and demographics of the schools were all key factors in the district’s decision to construct a new campus. Nicholas Elementary was first built over 60 years ago (1958). The new Nicholas Elementary campus will be an asset to the entire surrounding community.

This is the second of three campus rebuilds that will begin this year. A similar groundbreaking was held on June 5, 2023 at Edward Kemble/Cesar Chavez, and another will take place at Oak Ridge Elementary in September. These campuses were specifically chosen for improvements based on high segregation and poverty indicators and other factors identified by Sac City Unified’s award-winning Facilities Master Plan Equity Index that can be found at www.scusdplan.org.

“This is a day of celebration and pride for the Sacramento City Unified School District and it marks the culmination of years of strategic planning and community collaboration, beginning with the passage of Measure H in March of 2020.” said Jorge A. Aguilar, Superintendent, SCUSD. “Thank you to the voters for their continued support of Sacramento City Unified as we continue to work equitably to lift, inspire, and transform our community.”

“Sac City Unified is committed to providing opportunities that help all students to grow and reach their full potential,” said Jamee Villa, SCUSD Board of Education Member. “Our school facilities have a lot to do with how our students learn. The construction of a beautiful new Nicholas Elementary campus is an investment in the future leaders of Sacramento.”

“The new Nicholas Elementary campus will enrich academic and social emotional learning for students, and it will become a modern asset to our community,” said Chinua Rhodes, SCUSD Board President. “As we enhance the beauty, functionality, and value of our physical teaching and learning spaces, I am very proud of our District’s responsible use of Measure H facilities funds to increase equity and support 21st century learning.”

The beginning of construction is the culmination of years of strategic planning and community collaboration, beginning with the passage of Measure H by Sacramento voters in March of 2020. The $750 million general obligation bond provided Sac City Unified with the funding to begin making some of the estimated $4.4 billion in facilities needs identified across the district.

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