WHAT: Groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a new, state-of-the-art campus to replace the aging facility.
WHEN: Thursday, September 14 at 10:00am
WHERE: Oak Ridge Elementary, 4501 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95820
VISUALS: Elected and school officials will break ground with a shovel ceremony and make remarks. Students will be on hand for the event including a 2nd Grader who will be young enough to return to the school when the brand new campus re-opens in Fall 2025.

Sacramento, CA - Sacramento City Unified School District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. to begin construction of a new campus at the site of Oak Ridge Elementary School. The new Oak Ridge Elementary will be among the first new schools constructed in Sac City Unified in nearly two decades and reflects the District’s unwavering commitment to equity. When completed in Fall 2025, the ultramodern campus will feature an oversized multipurpose room, a STEAM lab, a community room, several shade canopies, a U14 soccer field, and an overall focus on energy efficiency and environmental conservation.

The age, location and demographics of the school were all key factors in the District’s decision to construct a new campus. Originally called Fruit Ridge School, Oak Ridge Elementary was officially annexed into SCUSD in 1958. It was built on a plot of land where a large, lone oak tree grew, so upon annexation, the name was changed to Oak Ridge. This school has many students whose families have attended the same site for generations. Despite all efforts to preserve the old oak tree, it must be removed to make way for the new building and a new mature oak tree will be transplanted into the center of the new campus. The oak tree’s legacy to the campus and neighborhood will be acknowledged as part of the ceremony.

This is the third of three campus rebuilds that will begin this calendar year. Similar groundbreakings were held on June 5 at Edward Kemble/Cesar Chavez, and June 9 at Nicholas Elementary. These campuses were specifically chosen for improvements based on high segregation and poverty indicators and other factors identified by Sac City Unified’s award-winning Facilities Master Plan Equity Index that can be found at www.scusdplan.org.

“This groundbreaking ceremony at Oak Ridge Elementary celebrates more than the buildings to come, but also the student achievement and possibilities this project will bring to the Oak Park neighborhood.” said Lisa Allen, Interim Superintendent, SCUSD. “I thank the voters for their continued support of Sac City Unified’s efforts to equitably to lift, inspire, and transform the lives of the students in our community.”

“Today’s groundbreaking, as we begin construction here at Oak Ridge Elementary, is but one step of many which signifies the goal of the Sacramento City Unified school district to continue our commitment to identify, confront, and interrupt inequity by design,” said Lavinia Grace Phillips, SCUSD Board Vice President and Trustee Area 7. “I am filled with joy for the Oak Park community and for its scholars who rightfully deserve fair, just, and increased  opportunities steeped in equitable practices, to learn, grow, and reach their greatness.”

“The new Oak Ridge Elementary is a strategic and important investment in the Oak Park community by both our school district and the voters who made this funding possible,” said Chinua Rhodes, SCUSD Board President. “This is such an exciting moment for the future of our district as we continue to explore ways to make more equitable investments and uplift more Sacramento families.”

The beginning of construction is the culmination of years of strategic planning and community collaboration, beginning with the passage of Measure H by Sacramento voters in March of 2020. The $750 million general obligation bond provided Sac City Unified with the funding to begin making some of the estimated $4.4 billion in facilities needs identified across the district.

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