Willmeng Construction commenced construction on the expansion of BASIS Flagstaff, a nationally ranked K-12 charter school.
The 34,867-square-foot school, located at 1700 N. Gemini Rd. in Flagstaff, will have an additional 30,877 square feet. BASIS Schools is the developer, Chermack Consulting Group is the development manager, and Carhuff & Cueva Architects designed the expansions.
In addition to a new gym and more high school classrooms, the existing structure will soon have kindergarten classrooms, a new playground, an additional parking lot and an updated underground storm drainage system. Willmeng will focus on interior renovations as well. “We will replace carpet, repaint walls and ceilings, renovate restrooms, add locker cubbies, and update administrative offices,” said Project Manager DJ Anderson.
Construction will be completed in October 2018, but classrooms will be accessible to students by the start of the school year in August.
According to BASIS.ed CEO Peter Bezanson, BASIS Flagstaff has been a high-achieving campus since it opened in 2011. “It has grown not only in stature, but also in size – necessitating these renovations,” said Bezanson. “While our focus is still on bringing the BASIS Curriculum to the hundreds of bright and eager students in Flagstaff, we also know that expansion and modernization in their physical space is a tangible way to help them succeed. We’re excited about the renovations – and we know teachers, students, and families in the BASIS Flagstaff community are, too.”
The first BASIS Curriculum School in Northern Arizona, BASIS Flagstaff opened in 2011 to serve 425 students in grades 5–12. The public charter campus has since added 3rd and 4th grades, and will ultimately expand to a K-12 campus. BASIS Flagstaff now serves 650 students who go to school every day with the best view — and most acclaimed curriculum — in all of Flagstaff. Since becoming eligible for the Washington Post’s national high school rankings two years ago, BASIS Flagstaff has ranked in the top five high schools in the nation both years: #2 in 2016, and #5 in 2017.
There are currently 21 BASIS charter schools in Arizona. The BASIS Curriculum Schools network began as a single charter school in Tucson in 1998, and has grown to 31 schools across the United States and around the world. BASIS Curriculum Schools are listed among America’s best by any measure: national rankings, Advanced Placement exams, PISA/OECD international testing, National Merit Scholarships and college admissions and merit aid.
