Excitement and anticipation were in the air as Mansfield ISD broke ground on the district’s second early learners academy. The school will be built at the corner of W. Broad St. and Retta Rd. in southwest Mansfield. Voters approved funds for the campus as part of the 2024 Bond.

The new pre-K center is modeled after the Dr. Sarah Jandrucko Early Learners Academy which opened in 2019. Students who attended Jandrucko have outperformed their peers by an average of 20 percentage points on the kindergarten literacy assessment test. That overwhelming success prompted MISD to include a second pre-K center in the 2024 Bond to offer more of the district’s youngest learners the opportunity to participate in the same unique, experiential learning curriculum.

“Early childhood education is the foundation for students to be life, college and career ready,” said Superintendent Dr. Kimberley Cantu. “We know from our own experience our youngest learners who start school in this learning environment have the potential to reap the benefits for the rest of their lives.”

The total cost of the new pre-K center is estimated at $57.6 million. The campus will accommodate up to 700 students and is expected to be completed in 2027.