New year, new school for students in Pharr and San Juan

PHARR, SAN JUAN – Over 1,300 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) ISD students started 2015 in new state-of-the-art facilities. In Pharr, Palmer Elementary has opened on Hall Acres Rd. while San Juan opened Austin Middle School on Stewart Rd.

Pharr: The new Geraldine Palmer Elementary at 1200 W. Hall Acres Rd. in Pharr replaces a much older campus. The school houses a little over 600 students pre-k to fifth grade.

The 88,478-sf building cost almost $13 million and includes special features like a high-efficiency HVAC system, LED lighting, instructional gardens and state-of-the-art technology and system controls.

San Juan: The new Austin Middle School campus is a 150,350-sf building located directly behind the old home of the Bruins.

Close to $24 million went into building the school, which currently houses about 800 students, sixth through eighth grade.

PSJA ISD has been renovating or replacing older facilities for over five years now, ensuring the 31,000 plus student body is in quality classrooms and schools districtwide.