Triad School District Breaks Ground on New Middle School

TROY - The Triad Community Unit School District #2 has officially started construction on their new middle school.

On Sept. 30, 2025, the district broke ground on the new building. Superintendent Dr. Jason Henderson expressed his excitement to complete the project and replace the current Triad Middle School, which has been serving the district since 1959.

“As our communities grow, our schools need to grow with them,” Henderson said. “When you’re building a new school, it’s going to be able to do things for our students that just aren’t possible in a building from 1959, from modern learning spaces, innovative technology designed for collaboration, just to allow the students to explore and create and grow really, really effectively. We’re just excited to be able to build something that's going to be here for decades to come.”

Henderson explained that the Triad Middle School building opened as the high school in the 1950s and then became the middle school in 1999. The building has a few issues due to its age.

The Board of Education put together a group to survey Triad community members about their top priorities. Of these priorities, replacing the middle school quickly emerged as the frontrunner.

Other identified priorities include renovations at Marine Elementary School, expanding the district’s career and technical education (CTE) program, and making safety and security updates to district buildings.

In April 2025, voters passed a bond referendum of $99.2 million. 67% of voters approved the referendum, which, Henderson noted, is a wider margin than is typical.

“I really think it’s because of our communities and the community engagement that we had that we were able to bring into that process,” he said. “It was kind of a really neat process where a community group came together and helped us survey our community and explain to our community what the issues that we had and then get feedback from them.”

Since April, the district has been in conversations with their architect, construction manager, and community stakeholders to design the new middle school. District leaders were excited to break ground on the project on Sept. 30.

Henderson said they expect the final bids to come in over the next few days. He added that they are “really, really hopeful” that the project continues to come in under budget, and he believes there is “a really good chance” that it will.

“The new Triad Middle School that we break ground on today represents more than just bricks and mortar — it represents our commitment to meeting the needs of today’s students while preparing for the generations to come,” Henderson said during the groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 30. “This building is not just for the next few years — it will serve students and families for decades to come.”

More like this:

"Reimagine Alton" Team Prioritizes Attendance, Belonging and Action to Improve Alton School District

Yesterday

Triad High School Launches Major Construction Project

Feb 24, 2026

Alton Middle School Students Travel to D.C.

6 days ago

Edwardsville School Board Discusses Updates and Abatement at Hamel Elementary School

Apr 14, 2026

Wood River Main Street Shares Summer Events

May 5, 2026