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An image of the athens high school building being constructed. [Jenna Bolton | WOUB Public Media]
Athens High School construction is ongoing as the building continues to take shape. [Jenna Bolton | WOUB Public Media]

Athens High School construction stays on track as the district looks ahead to a 2027 opening

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Construction of the new $69 million Athens High School is on schedule and on budget as crews work toward welcoming students in the spring of 2027. 

The three-story, 153,140-square-foot facility is being funded through a partnership between the state and local taxpayers, including $27.7 million from the state and a $42 million local property tax levy. 

Although construction is still underway, Superintendent Chad Springer said the district is confident the project is where it needs to be. 

“We’re in a good position at this point,” Springer said. “So, if you ask me, 50% done, 70% done, I wouldn’t be able to say, but we’re on time.” 

Springer said the district has also remained financially on track throughout construction, even while using contingency funds to help keep the project moving according to schedule. 

“When you build a home, you have to have a little bit of money set over to the side, and we’re utilizing some of that contingency to accelerate the construction,” he said. 

A standard classroom with three windows, adding lots of natural light throughout the building.[Jenna Bolton | WOUB Public Media]
A standard classroom will feature three windows, adding lots of natural light throughout the building. [Jenna Bolton | WOUB]
When complete, the new high school will offer significantly more space and updated facilities than the current building.  

It will include separate academic, athletic and fine arts wings, an auxiliary gymnasium, a full auditorium, an OhioHealth clinic, solar panels and expansive windows designed to bring natural light into classrooms and common areas, an aspect that the current building lacks. Curtain walls throughout the building will also provide views of the surrounding landscape. 

The new facility was also designed with student safety in mind. Features include a secure vestibule at the main entrance, swipe-card access at exterior doors, and a centralized digital surveillance system that will monitor activity throughout the building. 

“It makes it safer and more secure,” Springer said. 

Once students move into the new building during the spring of 2027, work will begin almost immediately to demolish the existing high school. 

An updated view of the auditorium that will be included in the Fine Arts wing. [Jenna Bolton | WOUB Public Media]
An updated view of the auditorium that will be included in the Fine Arts wing. [Jenna Bolton | WOUB]
The site will then be transformed into additional parking, while a new multiuse athletic field will be added behind the campus to provide more practice space for both high school and middle school programs. 

“Students are ready to be in it. They’re ready to be done,” Springer said. “This is the culmination of almost a decade of work from this community.” 

Springer said the project represents much more than a new school building. 

“We are proud to be Athens,” Springer said. “This community has done a lot for us, for our school district and our students, and we need to continue to give back to the community. This high school will be the hub of our activity for the community.”