Richardson ISD begins major junior high to middle school conversions
Fencing is up at Apollo Junior High as Richardson ISD converts six more campuses to sixth-through-eighth middle schools, with $486.7 million approved for the work.
Fencing and construction have started at Apollo Junior High, putting Richardson ISD’s long-planned middle school overhaul into its busiest phase yet. Families at Apollo, Liberty, North, Parkhill, West and Westwood junior highs will see those campuses turn into middle schools for sixth through eighth grade, following the model already in place at Lake Highlands Middle School and Forest Meadow Middle School.
That change alters where sixth graders go to school and how long they will live through construction around their campus. Lake Highlands and Forest Meadow began serving sixth graders in August 2024, and the remaining six campuses are next in line. Middle schools will use the same safety and security protocols as the current junior highs, including a full-time Dallas or Richardson police school resource officer at each campus.
RISD first recommended the middle school model during its strategic planning process in 2018, then studied it through a grade configuration committee in 2019 and 2020 before the school board adopted the concept in January 2021. The average age of district facilities is more than 58 years. The project will replace old space, add capacity and modernize classrooms and common areas.
In May, the RISD board approved $486.7 million for the six middle school transformation projects. In December 2025, construction was projected to begin in June 2026 and finish in fall 2028, while Bond 2025 is intended to complete the transformation for the remaining campuses. The district’s resolution set a longer target of finishing construction for all affected campuses by 2030.
Apollo and Richardson North are expected to be the most complicated jobs and will need the most portable classrooms during construction. Apollo’s renovation is expected to add close to 90,000 square feet. The new Lake Highlands Middle School building was designed for up to 1,500 students.
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