Neuqua Valley High School plans to once again house freshmen beginning in the 2027-28 school year, after renovations funded by the recent bond referendum in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 are complete.
The school on 95th Street just east of Route 59 in Naperville hasn’t hosted four full grade levels since freshmen moved next door to the Birkett Center in 2003. But officials say bringing back the youngest cohort will help the school function more efficiently and free up the Birkett building for other uses.
“We look to serve the next generation of Wildcats under one roof,” said David Perry, assistant principal at Neuqua and the lead administrator at the Birkett Center.
Two additions planned at Neuqua to allow space for freshmen
Work to allow space for freshmen will include two additions — one to the front of the building and the other to the back, said Steve Shearer, design principal with project architect Wight & Company. The additions come as the school rounds out its third decade since being built in 1995 as District 204’s second high school.
The improvements planned at Neuqua total $96 million. Most of the funding — $90 million — comes from up to $420 million in borrowing, which voters authorized last fall. So far, the district has spent $4.5 million of the project budget to retain Wight & Company and hire construction managers.
Work expected to begin next spring
Designs are in the early stages, as the project team prepares to begin construction in spring 2026. The additions are projected to be ready by the end of summer 2027, and the entire update is expected to be complete after summer 2028, Shearer said.
The addition in the back of the building will provide space for new science labs, general classrooms and collaborative workspaces, while connecting two academic wings with a new hallway. The front addition will house staff offices, which “allows us to create more classroom space in the heart of the building,” Perry said.
Both additions are designed with more glass than the original building to bring in natural light. School board members applauded this feature for its beauty, functionality and even mental health benefits.
The school will also get a new turf field during the renovations and an updated main entrance with two sets of doors to create a two-step process for checking in visitors. Perry called it “a win for us” as far as safety and security.
Designs ‘all seem to click’
School board members praised the plans and said they’re excited to welcome freshmen back into Neuqua proper.
“The designs all look very thorough and thoughtful,” school board member Supna Jain said. “It just all seems to click.”
But the board posed a few questions about how the hallways and lunchroom would accommodate 700 to 800 additional students.
Interior renovations will expand the cafeteria by taking over the faculty lunch room and three special education classrooms, Shearer said. Teachers can eat in new kitchenettes to be built in the staff office addition, while special education will move to a different wing where all classrooms can be grouped together.
Hallway capacity also can get a boost through the removal of some lockers, which Perry said are “vastly underutilized.” He said only 3 to 5% of Neuqua students actively use their lockers in the age of chromebooks, since most carry what they need in their backpacks.
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