New Decatur High will hold 2,409 students

When the redesign and new construction on Decatur High School finishes in the fall, 2019, capacity will swell to 2,409, compared to the current enrollment of 1,074 students, already the highest in school history.

Earlier this week Jeff Prine, program manager for the $49 million project, gave a detailed overview of each of the four phases. Eventually the school will have 70 more classrooms, a new kitchen/cafeteria, a new media center and a new gym. The 1960s-era “saucer” will get modified into the campus’ primary entrance.

Phase one, which alone cost $12 million and will include a new building where the lower parking lot is today, will start late this spring and should finish by June 2016, Prine said.