Farmington Municipal Schools have launched the design process to fully replace Heights Middle School and Mesa Verde Elementary, two campuses on College Boulevard that serve more than a thousand students and families in San Juan County. The district outlined a two-phase plan to keep classes running while new buildings are constructed .

The sequence starts with Heights Middle School. A new facility will be built on the existing site while Mesa Verde students are temporarily housed in the vacant middle school building. Once the move is complete, the old Mesa Verde facility will be demolished and rebuilt at its current location. This approach is meant to limit disruption and reduce the need for off-site relocations .

Both schools are at the end of their typical building life span. Heights opened in 1969 and serves about 674 students, while Mesa Verde opened in 1963 and enrolls roughly 450. Modern replacements are expected to improve classroom design, safety features, and shared spaces — priorities that district leaders have emphasized in recent updates .

Community attention will focus on cost, funding, and timing. The district notes that New Mexico’s Public School Facilities Authority uses a statewide assessment process to rank needs and guide funding, which shapes when and how projects advance. Families will also be looking for details about traffic on College Boulevard during construction, athletic field use, and how Mesa Verde students will be accommodated day to day. The district has indicated that staff and families will have opportunities to provide input as design moves forward .

Next steps include confirming design milestones, scheduling board presentations, and announcing dates for community input sessions. As those details are set, residents can track progress through the district newsroom and campus pages. This is a major investment in daily life for Farmington, touching morning commutes, after-school activities, and the spaces where students learn and grow