The Menifee Union School District recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will serve children living in the area of the Menifee-Murrieta border. A groundbreaking ceremony was held April 18 to mark the start of construction for Elementary School 15, located in the area of Scott Road and Mira Road, east of Interstate 215, at the edge of Menifee city limits.
Elementary School 15 aims to support population growth in the area, especially to the east and north where several new housing developments are under construction and others are planned. Children who live in the cities of Menifee and Murrieta will attend the campus, although school boundaries have not been drawn yet, according to Josué Reyna, director of communications and community engagement for the MUSD. Student capacity will be 1,000, Reyna added. The school's current name is just a placeholder. A yet-to-be-determined committee will decide the campus's formal name, Reyna said.
The site of the $54.5 million project has historical significance, and that may play a role in the final name. It is located just northeast of the former gold and silver Leon Mine that operated from the 1800s until 1953, according to MUSD officials. The school, which is expected to be completed by August 2024, will be a "state-of-the-art facility, equipped with innovative technology and designed to foster incredible learning, exploration, and imagination," according to MUSD Board President Morgan Singleton. “In the building of Elementary School 15, we are honored to provide the community with a beautiful facility that will set the stage for the growth and development of hundreds of elementary school children each year," said MUSD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Root.
Among those in attendance at the April 18 groundbreaking ceremony were members of the MUSD Governing Board of Education, members of the Measure Q Bond Citizens' Oversight Committee, Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman, Menifee City Councilwoman Lesa Sobek, Menifee City Councilman Bob Karwin, and a representative from Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh's office.
