Clovis Unified School District is expecting to open two new elementary within the next decade utilizing a potential 2028 bond, which the district plans to keep at the same tax rate.

Bucking a trend of disenrollment plaguing California’s largest school districts, Clovis Unified’s growth is continuing to push the district to expand.

The district gained 382 students in the 2025–26 school year, increasing its total non-charter enrollment to 43,254 students — nearly a percent increase from the year prior. The record high enrollment launched Clovis Unified into becoming the state’s 11th-largest school district.

More Robust Growth in the Forecast

District officials envision continued growth of 1,332 students, not including online school enrollment, over next 10 years. And that projection comes with the notation that Clovis Unified has surpassed expectations in the past.

“We’re looking at a real detailed level of what our enrollment population is going to be doing over the next five to ten years.” district spokesperson Kelly Avants said. “We look at both what the existing school capacity is and when we’re going to start peeking over into having hundreds of students, too many, in an area. And so that’s what’s driving us looking now in the Heritage Grove area.”

To accommodate more learners, the district is expecting to open new elementary schools, each with a capacity of 750 students.

The district’s soon-to-be elementary school, expected to open in 2030, is located near the corner of Perrin and Minnewawa. The next site will open in 2032.

A large portion of the growth comes from the implementation of universal transitional kindergarten, growing from 468 students in the 2021-22 school year to 1,467 students in 2025-26. Last year, TK enrollment blew past predictions by 100 students.

District Eyes Potential 2028 Bond

To fund future constructions, the district will advocate a new facility bond to replace the one passed in 2024.

“The bond funds that our community has approved in the past have either already been spent and or are already committed to projects,” Avants said. “And so any future building of schools would be contingent on future funding.”

The bond, expected to appear on the 2028 ballot, has not been solidified, but the district aims to keep taxes the same.

“Our plan will be to keep the tax rate the same at $155 per $100,000 assessed value,” said Denver Stairs, assistant superintendent of facility services. “That is a commitment that we’ve made to our community.”

However, the tax rate is decided via a citizen committee process, comprised of a diverse group from the community.

The committee looks critically at facility needs, finances, past spending, and community desires to recommend a bond amount to the School Board, Avants explained.

After, trustees will vote to place the bond measure on the ballot.

This process begins around ten to 12 months prior to citizen voting, meaning it’s not currently in the works.

“The decision as to whether or not a bond measure is going to be placed on a future ballot, it takes a lot more research and that is not even something that has been started,” Avants clarified.

Clovis Unified Begins Work on New Elementary School

Clovis Unified has begun project design on a new elementary school tentatively set to open near the corner of Perrin and Minnewawa in 2030.

Site construction typically begins 14 to 18 months, Avants said, prompting building to begin in 2028.

District leaders estimate that the new site will cost around $59 million with funding coming from multiple streams.

After that, the district is looking to begin project design on its 37th elementary school in 2028.

Leaders have not yet determined the site of the future campus, eyeing multiple locations. The location will be determined through needs assessment, enrollment growth, overcrowding at existing schools, and program changes.

The new schools will cause boundary changes, requiring public outreach in 2028. Trustees will vote on the changes in 2029, officials say.

Construction and Renovation Funding Breakdown

Clovis Unified residents approved two bonds over the last decade, creating $735 million in funding for five new schools and safety projects.

Facility bonds are the most crucial funding source for school construction and renovation, providing a tax-exempt stream of money.

In 2024, a $400 million five-year bond measure passed with 58% approval. Since the 2000 passage of Proposition 39, such bonds face a 55% approval requirement.

Outside of bonds, the district gains funding through developer fees, fees levied on new development, and the state school facility program. That program leverages local funds with grants.

In May, trustees adopted an increase in the developer fee to $6.38 per square foot, which will generate about $10 million annually.

And the district has received $92 million from the state through Prop. 2, approved in 2024. That measure authorized the state to issue $10 billion in bonds to build and renovate public schools.

Upgrades for Many Clovis Unified Schools

Facilities funding also goes to site improvements and modernizations with the district planning many renovations over the next few years.

The largest upcoming project is a $21 million redesign of Nelson Elementary in the Clovis West Area. Construction starts this summer.

Clovis Unified will modernize Nelson, built in 1957, pushing its administration building out to the front of campus for better safety. Additionally, the district is updating  the site’s multipurpose room, kitchen, and classrooms.

Temperance-Kutner and Cole Elementary Schools will receive classroom wing replacements, getting rid of portable classrooms. The projects cost $14.5 million each.

Additionally, MPR modernizations will occur throughout the district, including Tarpey, Maple Creek, and Mountain View elementary schools.

And continuous safety and roofing projects will occur over the next four summers.