Cheney Public Schools starts construction on new elementary school in Airway Heights

May 18-As crickets chirped and promotional flags advertising new homes for sale flapped in the wind gusts Monday, construction began for a new elementary school in Airway Heights.

Officials from Cheney Public Schools hosted a groundbreaking celebration on the corner of Craig Road and First Avenue, the site of the new school that is surrounded by vacant lots and fresh homes.

These houses plus an expected population boom, Superintendent Ben Ferney said, necessitate the new school, easing overcrowding at schools around the 380-square-mile district. Sunset Elementary, the sole elementary school in Airway Heights and also the largest in the district with 600 students, will see the biggest "relief" from overcrowding, Ferney said.

In the next decade, the district expects another 760 kids to enroll, 500 of them in Airway Heights, according to 2024 estimates.

"With that growth, obviously, you build schools where the kids are. So being able to build here is awesome," Ferney said. "It's got a larger gym, it's got a larger multipurpose space, it's got a huge field. So I think the community use is going to be pretty big."

The district hired Garco Construction and Intergus Architecture to undertake the design and construction of the new school, expected to open in fall 2027.

The building will have the capacity for 500 kids, and expects to enroll 425 from the get-go, Ferney estimated.

"This school will be more than just a place for learning," said future Principal Gabby Smithley. "It will serve as a true hub for the Airway Heights community."

The new elementary school is funded by a voter-approved $72 million bond that passed in 2024. From that package, $36 million was used for construction of the new elementary school.

To prepare for the new facility, the school board last week approved revisions to the district's attendance boundaries, which won't take effect until the new school opens. The new school will enroll kids in the northernmost chunk of the district.

Most youth of families living north of U.S. Highway 2 will attend the new elementary school. It also will include those living north of 6th Avenue and those living in a section north of Airport Drive and east of Deer Heights Road. A small portion north of the highway that includes the Cedar Summit Estates neighborhood and houses surrounding Sunset Elementary School will still attend Sunset.

With a bond passed, construction underway and boundaries established, next on the district's to-do list is picking a name and mascot for the school. That's up to the school board, a task they'll undertake in the next month or so, Ferney said.

"We recognize the responsibility that comes with a project like this," said board President Mitch Swenson. "Our board remains committed to being thoughtful stewards of the bond resources throughout the project and beyond."

Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 11:49 PM.