A portion of James Madison Elementary school in Madera Unified has been under construction for the last six months.
"We are building a new two story academic building that consists of 11 classrooms, total," MUSD Director of Facilities Planning & Construction Management Rosalind Cox said.
Cox says the $13.5 million project will expand the Dual Language Immersion program to serve more than 250 students in grades 6, 7, and 8.
"You know, right now, currently, some of these students are in portables, and so we definitely want to show our students and the community how important, you know, 21st Century facilities are, and how important that is for learning," Cox said.
Director of Multilingual Educational Programs Mercedes Ochoa says Dual Language Immersion aims to provide bilingualism and biliteracy in both Spanish and English.
The district currently has more than 1,500 students enrolled in DLI, 800 of which are at Madison Elementary.
"So with the expansion of this facility, it ensures that our students don't lose momentum in their language learning," Ochoa said.
Along with the classrooms, the building will also have additional offices, plus STEM and art spaces for hands-on learning.
"Those buildings will help teachers and help students engage in those different activities," Ochoa said.
Ochoa says she hopes the community sees the investment into the program and to the students.
"It really is a gift that most of us that have children that are older than eighth graders did not get an opportunity, but now our newer families have that opportunity," Ochoa said.
Construction is expected to be completed in May of next year, and students will begin using the building in fall of 2026.
For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook, X and Instagram.