City Breaks Ground at Site of New Minnie Howard Campus

ALEXANDRIA, VA–On Tuesday, March 29, Alexandria City Public Schools officially broke ground at the site of the new Minnie Howard Campus (3801 W Braddock Rd), a part of the Connected High School Network of Alexandria City High School.

Acting Chief of Facilities Operations Dr. Alicia Hart stated, “There are so many things that excite me about this project. Mainly our opportunity to provide a new modernized facility that will really meet all our students’ needs and allow us to offer more co-located opportunities to partner with the city, as well as the aquatic facility, because we know that will be something both the schools and the city have been wanting for a long time. We are excited for our opportunities to add to our Connected High School Network.”

The site of the future campus will be where the current sports field lies; the current school will then turn into the new sports field location. The campus will feature several co-locations, including an aquatics center, an athletics facility, a teen wellness center, and early childhood education center. Capacity will be raised to 1,600 students, all will accommodate grades 9 through 12.

As part of the High School Project, an expansion of the Alexandria City High School into a Connected High School Network, the Minnie Howard Campus will accommodate flexible student schedules and enrollment. Principal Balas explained that “students might spend half a day at Minnie Howard, half a day on King Street, or they might have one day on, one day off.” The expanse of space allows for an expansion of curriculum and student enrollment as well.

As construction occurs, current students will remain in the current building; doors will open to the new facility for the 2024-2025 school year, during which time the original building will be razed for reconstruction of the sports field.

One former Minnie Howard student, and current student representative to the school board, stated, “This place holds so many memories, and I will be sad to see it go, but I am excited for all the new possibilities that this campus will provide to ACPS students.”

The design and execution of this project is thanks to the collaborative efforts of both ACPS and Alexandria City. The outcome will yield a state of the art facility for academics, athletics, and sustainability practices.

Mayor Wilson wrapped up the ceremony by stating, “I imagine that at some point thousands of years of now, others will be digging here and discover this building, and I think they will understand that this was a community that was committed to our youth, to the future of our city. This is going to be a landmark facility of our community, a crown jewel of a new era of investment in our school facilities.”

To learn more about the High School Project and new Minnie Howard campus, visit https://www.acps.k12.va.us/hsproject.