Piñon Elementary School at 90 Grand Canyon Drive in White Rock. Courtesy/LAPS
Chamisa Elementary School at 301 Meadow Lane in White Rock. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
- Final site work on track ahead of Aug. 10 first day of school
With the 2026-2027 school year set to begin Monday, Aug. 10, Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) is celebrating major milestones at its two new elementary schools.
At both Piñon Elementary School and Chamisa Elementary School, construction of the new buildings and demolition of the former schools are complete, and crews are now finishing the final site work. Both projects remain on schedule and within budget.
At Piñon Elementary, the majority of the site work is complete with a short punch list of minor items that will be finished by Aug. 30. District staff are completing systems training and will assume full maintenance of the building by Aug. 30.
At Chamisa Elementary School, site work including work on parking lots, sidewalks, and landscaping is on track for completion by Aug. 10, with minor finishing touches wrapped up by Aug. 30. Crews are also completing final work on the school grounds with landscaping, gates, and concrete, in the coming weeks. Parents will be receiving an email from Principal Meek this week with drop off and pick up maps.
Both campuses now feature freshly installed sod and native landscaping. New sod is already in place on the playgrounds at both schools. These areas are protected by temporary fencing with irrigation running on automatic timers. Open areas at both schools were planted with a native, waterwise seed mix. The seed mix is the same specification used by Los Alamos National Laboratory. This will appear bright and colorful when first applied as a “hydro mix”.
LAPS asks families and community members to admire the new landscaping from a distance and stay off these newly planted areas while they take root. Both campuses remain active construction sites, and the public is asked not to enter school property without permission.
LAPS thanks the Los Alamos community for its continued support and patience throughout these two projects. LAPS looks forward to welcoming students, families and staff to these new schools next week.
