EVERETT — Public school officials helped break ground on Tuesday for a new Jackson Elementary School campus in north Everett, which will replace the aging facility originally built in 1948.
The $54 million project is the first complete school replacement Everett Public Schools has carried out in years. Voters approved the construction as part of a 6-year, $325.5 million capital levy passed in 2022.
The most recent rebuild of a school in the district was a $50 million modernization of North Middle School, which opened to students in 2019.
District and city officials, along with students and teachers at the school, celebrated the new construction as a transformational change for the school.
“Because of your investment, our students and staff will soon have the opportunity to teach and learn in a modern, safe and inspiring facility, a space designed for the needs of 21st century learners,” said Jackson Elementary’s principal, Darren Larama, at the ceremony.
The new school will include more open space, breakout rooms, windows to allow for natural light and an elevator to make the building more accessible. A new loop for bus and car traffic will also be built in front of the building.
Haddie Shorb, a 9-year-old third grader attending Jackson, is set to be part of the first fifth grade class to learn in the new school.
“I can’t wait to play on the new playground, see the new bathrooms and learn in a fresh new classroom,” Haddie said. “I hope the teachers will enjoy being in a new school with new desks, new whiteboards, new carpet and new windows. I’m also very excited to have a new carpet.”
Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, whose daughter attended Jackson Elementary, said the replacement “has been a long time coming.”
“Strong communities and strong schools go hand in hand, and, in Everett, education is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape our future,” she said. “It’s the support from our community and your willingness to invest that ensures our public schools remain top-tier.”
Students are expected to move into the new building by the start of the 2026-27 school year. At that point, the original school will be demolished to make room for a new gymnasium. The entire project is set to be complete by summer 2027.
Everett Public Schools formed a capital bond committee in January to make a recommendation to the superintendent on a future bond proposal. That bond proposal could come to voters in 2026, a board presentation said.
Correction: A previous version of this article listed the incorrect day the groundbreaking took place. The groundbreaking was on Tuesday, not Wednesday.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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