Campus is set to open three years after the first community planning meetings were held
Press release from Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation
UVALDE, TX (October 3, 2025) The Uvalde CISD Moving Foundation excitedly announces
that it will host the ribbon cutting ceremony for Legacy Elementary School on Friday, October
10, 2025 at 10:00 am. Wrapping up a nearly 20-month construction timeline, the new school will
educate third, fourth, and fifth graders in Uvalde CISD this fall.
“This three-year effort to design the school, raise the funds, and construct the school has been a
highly collaborative effort between the Foundation, the school district, the Uvalde community,
and our architectural and construction partners,” said Tim Miller, executive director of the
Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation. “We appreciate the generosity of the hundreds of
individuals, businesses, foundations, and other organizations that contributed the monetary and
in-kind donations that have made Legacy Elementary School a reality.”
Legacy Elementary, located near Leona and Fourth streets adjacent to Dalton Elementary School,
is a two-story campus totaling 116,000 square feet. The campus includes 36 classrooms and can
serve up to 800 students.
The colors and designs included in the school are inspired by the cultural heritage and natural
beauty of the Uvalde community. The interior of the campus includes tributes to the lives lost at
Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022 including a representation of a large oak tree with two large
branches, representing the two teachers who lost their lives, and 19 smaller branches
representing the children who were victims.
The design of the school came as the result of meticulous planning efforts by Huckabee
Architects and the Foundation to work alongside the Uvalde community through the Uvalde
CISD Community Advisory Committee and several community meetings seeking input on every
aspect of the design. Parents, teachers, and community members comprised the Community
Advisory Committee.
The work with the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee began in the fall of 2022. The
plans developed through that process were approved by the Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees in
April 2023. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 2023 and construction on the
campus began in February 2024 by the Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Company.
The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation was created in the wake of the tragedy at Robb
Elementary School through lead gifts from the H-E-B Grocery Company and the Butt family
totaling $10 million. Huckabee donated their architectural services, Joeris Construction donated
their pre-construction services, and Satterfield & Pontikes discounted their services for the
construction work. The State of Texas also contributed $15 million to the project.
Other major donors to the work of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation include:
● H-E-B Tournament of Champions
● The Kate Marmion Charitable Trust
● The Meadows Foundation
● Methodist Healthcare Ministries
● The Moody Foundation
● John Nau & Silver Eagle Beverages
● Rainwater Charitable Foundation
The project was also financially supported by two rounds of community investment through New
Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), a federal program designed to encourage private investment in
underserved areas. An initial round of investment through NMTCs to the Legacy Elementary
School project was made in December 2024 totaling a combined investment of $24.5 million
made by JP Morgan Chase, Prestamos CDFI, a division of Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), and
Raza Development Fund. The second round of investment totaled $21 million from JP Morgan
Chase, Empowerment Reinvestment Fund, National Community Investment Fund, and Nonprofit
Finance Fund. The combined investments produced a net benefit of $7.8 million to the new
school.
In total, the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation raised more than $60 million. Following
the completion of all construction costs and costs related to furnishing the campus as well as
moving all teachers and staff into the building, any excess funds will be utilized toward assisting
Uvalde CISD.
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Note: The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is a separate entity from the Uvalde
Consolidated Independent School District.
About the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation
The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation serving the
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District community. The nonprofit was created in the
wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary School, which took 21 innocent lives on May 24, 2022.
Funding collected through the foundation will support the construction of a new elementary
school campus in the Uvalde CISD, ensuring students and staff will not have to return to the site
of the tragedy, and ultimately supporting the District’s ongoing needs as it moves forward. For
more information about the foundation visit www.uvaldecisdmovingforward.org.
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