ASK Academy Breaks Ground on $4.6M Gym in Rio Rancho, Due 2027

Rio Rancho’s ASK Academy broke ground March 4, 2026, on a 14,524-square-foot, $4.6 million building simply known as The ASK Academy Gym, with the ceremonial site set on nothing more than a dirt plot near Sundt Road west of the campus. School leaders and student-athletes gathered to mark the start of construction for what officials say will be the school’s first on-campus gym and related classroom and community space.

The project will include the main 14,524-square-foot gymnasium plus ancillary classrooms and community areas, and a 1,600-square-foot Texico Conference Center that is planned to include a cafeteria and classroom space, all scheduled for completion in 2027. Rio Rancho Observer reporting describes the gym as the prime amenity for teams at ASK Academy, which currently does not yet offer on-campus athletic facilities.

The groundbreaking followed years of delays tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and came after the Rio Rancho Governing Body approved the project late last year. Sources say construction is expected to finish next year, with the Observer explicitly reporting a 2027 completion date for the gym and the Texico Conference Center.

CEO Ed Garcia framed the moment as a new phase for the school, saying, “Today we break ground not just on a gym, but on the next chapter of the ASK Academy story.” State Rep. Joshua Hernandez, a Republican whose two daughters attend ASK Academy, added, “I can’t wait to get the shovels in the ground.” Five Rio Rancho lawmakers attended the ceremony alongside school officials and members of the ASK Academy community as student-athletes looked on.

The event also came amid neighborhood pushback: a handful of residents who live close to the planned site requested the facility be moved or downsized to address concerns in nearby neighborhoods. Reporting notes those requests were not mentioned at the March 4 ceremony and no changes were announced at the event.

The school has budgeted $4.6 million for the project; sources did not provide a funding breakdown or contractor names at the ceremony. A photograph of the groundbreaking was credited to Kevin Opsahl/Observer. With construction under way on the dirt plot near Sundt Road, ASK Academy and city leaders are aiming to deliver new athletic, classroom and community space to the Rio Rancho campus by 2027.