New schools mean new infrastructure
West Fargo Public Schools is a school district located in the West Fargo area of North Dakota. The district continues to see increasing enrollment at a rate of 500 to 600 new students annually. This trend has been occurring for nearly a decade and is expected to continue through 2025. Following the recommendations of West Fargo Public Schools Long Range Facility Planning Task Force, the West Fargo School Board authorized the district to move forward with a $106.9 Million bond referendum. The referendum package included a new high school and new middle school among other district needs.
Horace, North Dakota, was chosen by West Fargo Public Schools as a location to construct a new middle school and high school campus. This location is on the south side of the district. The new middle school will be named Heritage Middle School and will be located at Sheyenne Street and 76th Avenue South. Heritage Middle school will be built to initially accommodate 900 students with the ability to expand to 1,200 students if necessary. The new high school will be named West Fargo Horace High School and will be built to accommodate 1,000 students with the ability to expand to 1,550 students if necessary.
The total projected cost of the West Fargo Horace High School and Heritage Middle School is $88.5 Million.
The site chosen by West Fargo Public Schools is currently an unimproved agricultural field with access from Cass County Hwy 17 and 76th Avenue. Cass County 17 is currently an asphalt surfaced rural county road. 76th Avenue is currently a gravel-surfaced rural section roadway.
West Fargo Public Schools requested several street and utility improvements from the City of Horace. The request included 76th Avenue improvements, 79th Avenue construction, 63rd Street construction, and 81st Avenue construction. 76th Avenue is on the north side of the school campus, 79th Avenue is in the middle of the campus site between the middle school and high school, 63rd Street in on the east side of the school campus, and 81st Avenue on the south side of the campus.