Clovis Unified is planning to open two new elementary schools utilizing current funds and a proposed 2028 bond that promises to keep school taxes the same.

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.

To accommodate more learners, the district plans to open new elementary schools in 2030 and 2032. Each site will have a capacity of 750 students.

Funding the new schools, officials say, will require voter approval of a new bond to succeed the one passed in 2024. The bond, expected to appear on the 2028 ballot, won’t raise the district’s tax rate for property owners.

“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.”

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.

Clovis Unified Begins Work on New Elementary School

Clovis Unified has begun project design on a new elementary school set to open at Perrin and Minnewawa in 2030.

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

After that, the district will 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.

Temperence-Kutner and Cole Elementary Schools will receive classroom wing replacements, costing $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.