Neuqua Valley High School and Indian Prairie School District 204 officials, along with construction contractors, celebrated the start of renovations at the school with a groundbreaking on Tuesday.
The construction will create additional space for more classrooms, labs, offices, and collaborative workspaces. This will allow freshmen, who have been attending class at the school’s nearby Birkett Center for more than two decades, to return to the main building.
“We’ve had two buildings and been a two-building school since 2003, and we’re excited to kind of come together as a school community under one roof,” said Neuqua Valley principal Lance Fuhrer. “We also are in need, as are all of our district buildings, for some efficiencies regarding LED lighting, flooring, and other upgrades that operationally will make our district more efficient, and we’re looking forward to that as well.”
There will also be a new turf field and a new fitness studio, as well as security enhancements.
“We’re preparing for the next generation of students who come through Neuqua Valley, who go through Indian Prairie,” said IPSD 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley.
Neuqua Valley construction supported by bond funding
The budget for the construction work is projected at $96 million, with the majority of the funding — $90 million — coming from a $420 million bond referendum voters approved in 2024 for improvements in the school district.
Fuhrer expressed his gratitude to the community for its assistance in enhancing the school.
“I think their generosity really is a vote of confidence in public education,” he said.
One student said bringing all students under one roof will build a stronger Wildcat community.
“It will really enhance the solidarity of a school, and it’ll be able to make the freshmen feel like they’re high schoolers, and it’ll help that transition overall,” said Neuqua Valley junior Sam Mahalla.
Freshmen head to main building in 2027
Freshmen are slated to return to the main building for the 2027-2028 school year as Neuqua marks its 30th anniversary.
The Birkett Center will then be transformed into a hub for some IPSD 204 programs, including the STEPS transition program for students with disabilities, Pathways, and Gail McKinzie. That project is expected to begin in 2027.
Officials say construction at Neuqua is expected to be completed by 2028.
“Our staff is excited. Our students are excited. Our community is excited for the things that are happening. We will be a better and stronger school once we’re done, because we have a better place to be a school,” said Fuhrer.
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