The Ridgefield School District will open Sunset Ridge Elementary for the 2026-27 school year, marking the first time the district has opened a new elementary school in more than six decades. The project, which cost approximately $52.5 million, is intended to relieve overcrowding at Union Ridge and South Ridge elementary schools.

According to reporting by The Reflector, the school board voted in September 2025 to transition the district to a kindergarten through fifth grade model starting in 2026. Previously, Ridgefield elementary schools served grades K-4. The decision followed a community survey of 1,099 residents, in which 78 percent of respondents favored the grade reconfiguration.

The new campus is expected to accommodate between 500 and 550 students. Last year, both Union Ridge and South Ridge elementary schools enrolled roughly 700 students each. The name Sunset Ridge Elementary and its coyote mascot were chosen to preserve the identity of the former Sunset Ridge Intermediate School, which becomes obsolete under the new K-5 structure.

Construction was funded through a combination of three sources rather than a traditional bond measure:

• $21 million from developer impact fees collected from new residential construction.
• $16.5 million from the state School Construction Assistance Program.
• $15 million from a voter-approved capital and technology levy passed in February.

Todd Graves and Stephanie Goad, who previously served as the leadership team at Sunset Ridge Intermediate, will lead the new school as principal and assistant principal. Graves noted that the transition to a K-5 model across the district will allow the three elementary schools to collaborate more closely before students eventually move to View Ridge Middle School.

The district was able to accelerate the construction timeline because it already owned the property and had completed preliminary site work. The opening follows a period of significant growth in the region; this publication previously reported on July 31, 2026, that management of local growth has remained a central issue for Clark County officials.

Families will have the opportunity to tour the new campus during a Back-to-School Night scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20. Further information regarding pre-school year activities is available at ridgefieldsd.org.

Source: Sunset Ridge Elementary to welcome students for 2026-27 school year