East Mountain charter schools break ground on middle school expansion

East Mountain Public Charter Schools broke ground in Sandia Park on a major middle school expansion that is meant to change how families in the East Mountains move through school. The project will add a dedicated middle school next to East Mountain High School, with sixth graders set to join campus by fall 2026 and a longer 6-12 pathway to follow.

The expansion comes after years of planning around enrollment pressure and the daily burden of distance. For many families in the East Mountains, the nearest middle school option has meant driving children to Tijeras, Edgewood or Albuquerque, or putting up with long bus rides that can run about 40 minutes. School leaders have said the new facility is intended to meet that demand and keep more students closer to home.

East Mountain opened its middle school application in October 2025 and has said there are no entry requirements or placement tests for applicants. Students admitted through the sixth-grade lottery will be guaranteed a spot for the next seven years, a structure that turns the expansion into a long-term feeder path rather than a one-year add-on. One report said the school will initially serve 90 new sixth graders.

The new building is planned to include a multi-purpose space, a learning commons and middle-school classrooms. Built beside the current high school, the layout points to a more connected campus model that could help with scheduling, staffing and transportation as the school grows. East Mountain High School was founded in 1999 and currently serves grades 9-12, so the addition of middle school marks the biggest expansion in the school’s history.

Albuquerque Public Schools approved the expansion in a 5-2 vote in 2024, clearing the way for a project that school leaders and parents have described as a response to growth in the East Mountains corridor, including the areas around Frost Road, Mountain Valley and N.M. 14. Trey Smith said the expansion was meant to meet those needs, and families at the groundbreaking described the change as practical as much as educational.

For parents watching enrollment and commute options closely, the project could alter daily routines as much as school choice. A Sandia Park parent said it could help reduce the long drives to schools outside the area, while another parent said his son would enter East Mountain’s first middle-school class in August. In a part of Bernalillo County where school access has lagged behind growth, the new campus is a signal that the district is building for the students already here.