A New Rogers High School

• Warm, safe, and dry state-of-the-art facility

• A school that students want to attend

• Flagship community building offers programs & sense of pride

• Enhanced academics through CTE integration

• RIDE approved and “commended” our grant application and educational plan

Rogers High School is in “poor condition” per the 2017 Jacob’s Report commissioned by the state of Rhode Island, including structural safety problems.

Outdated Building

Built in 1957, Newport’s Rogers High School building has outlived its useful life. The infrastructure of the facility is failing and cannot be repaired or replaced in a cost-effective way. The school, serving grades 9-12, was designed in the California style with isolated small classroom buildings sweeping across the landscape connected by glass and steel corridors. In 1968, the Career and Technical Education (CTE)/vocational building was added to provide space for the Newport Area Career and Technical High School (NACTC) which was established in 1966.

Too costly to repair existing structure

A facility assessment was completed by Jacobs engineering in 2017. In July 2019 StudioJAED architects and engineers completed a detailed assessment and developed an updated capital improvement plan which identified total improvement needs at existing school buildings would cost $76,000,000. Given the community’s desire to upgrade the facility to better support future-focused teaching and learning, the NSC made the decision to develop a new facility for Rogers High School.

The Facility Condition Index (FCI) of Rogers is 69.68%. Financial models show that over a 30 year period, it is more cost effective to replace than repair schools with an index of 65% or greater.

Some of the facilities challenges at Rogers High School include:

  • Science classrooms are not appropriately sized for safety nor do they provide the appropriate elements for experimentation.

  • Departmental model with long connecting corridors, making passing time difficult and interdisciplinary instruction challenging.

  • Disconnection between NACTC and High School creates challenges for both staff and students.

  • Classrooms are significantly undersized and do not support best practices in teaching and learning.

  • Career and Technical Education programs are located in inadequate spaces, out of compliance with current standards.

  • Most classrooms have only one electrical outlet, which greatly limits the use of instructional technology.

  • The facility is not energy efficient or compliant with security best practices.

  • Faulty heating systems create portions of the school that are too hot or too cold.

  • The track cannot be used for competitive athletics due to poor condition.

  • Second level spaces including the weight room spaces in the gym and the dressing areas in auditorium are inaccessible.

  • The building has original HVAC and electrical components, which are beyond useful life and are in need of replacement.

  • The old building was not designed for the extreme heat/cold and frequent storms of the Rhode Island climate.

  • The old building was designed in the “California style” where the outdoors are part of the experience, a poor design for New England.

  • The current campus has 77 doors, impossible to secure to today’s standards.

  • There are too many dark corridors and entry points, too many opportunities for non-students to interface with students while they are traveling from building to building.

  • Rotting window frames.

  • The athletic wing has persistent roof leaks.

  • The facility’s plumbing and other infrastructure is underneath the building and only accessible through crawl spaces, and the pipes are eroding.

  • There is flooding in several classrooms and in the JROTC wing.

  • The auditorium has structural deficiencies, and the stage dressing rooms have been inoperable for five years.

Newport wants to build a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive high school that will serve as an exemplar for school districts throughout New England.

Project Overview

  • The total cost of the project is currently $98.8 million

  • The cost included furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).

  • Cost per student: $2,600

  • Cost per sf: $614

  • The project is designed to meet the maximum allowable State reimbursement of 52.5% of eligible costs.

Campus Features

  • Total square footage, including the CTE: 164,567 sf

  • 100% ADA compliant building and facilities

  • Core academic spaces, including classrooms: 37,000 sf

  • Special education: 10,700 sf

  • Art & Music: 5,050 sf

  • Vocations & Technology: 20,325 sf

  • Health & Physical Education: 20,200 sf

  • Library/Media Center: 4,400 sf

  • Dining and food service: 7,208 sf

  • Medical area: 1,410 sf

  • School administration & guidance space: 3,764 sf

  • Custodial & maintenance: 2,191 sf

Additional Features

  • Expected enrollment is 755 students

  • On the advice of teachers and administrators, several CTE program classrooms can now be used in the the general academic space for cost savings.