Skip to content

Hilmar Elementary School: Rethinking Pre-K. A Hybrid Solution Builds a Quality Foundation for Early Learning

Like most California school districts, Hilmar was looking for a budget-friendly solution to meet a growing list of needs. So the district took a creative approach—and completely transformed the early learning experience. Here’s how they did it.

Increasing enrollment. Outdated classrooms. New programming. Universal TK… and Pre-K.

Hilmar Unified School District was looking for a creative way to accomplish a to-do list of goals.

Top of the list: building a new elementary school that would expand access to quality early learning experiences while supporting California’s Pre-K requirements.

A birds eye view of Hilmar Elementary School and the surrounding area

The Problem

Hilmar Unified School District needed more space to serve the needs of the growing Hilmar community, a rural agricultural community in Central California’s Merced County. The district’s Elim Elementary School enrolled 1000 K-5 students, and half of its 50 classrooms were outdated portables that needed replacing.

HUSD wanted facilities that could multitask, expanding capacity for future growth while modernizing facilities for 21st century learning. The district’s to-do list was long:

  • Expand Pre-K-to-K programming and create dedicated early learning space to accommodate it
  • Add multipurpose space that could flex for many different activities
  • Provide a variety resources to support the staff and engage the community
  • Create a series of indoor/outdoor learning/play areas in a space-efficient footprint
Looking straight down at the property of Hilmar Elementary School so you can see 6 buildings in a row, and the playground in the back

The Process

HUSD quickly decided that new construction was the best solution for meeting the district’s list of priorities, as well as the stakeholders’ unique vision for the project. Working with bond funding, HUSD planned to build a new elementary school on 15.5 acres of school land between Elim Elementary and Hilmar High School.

The new campus was a transformational concept, consolidating the district’s TK-2 programming in a single, centralized location, while restructuring adjacent Elim Elementary to serve 3rd – 5th graders—a move that would free up space at Elim and allow 24 portable classrooms to be removed.

Reducing Elim’s headcount to a more manageable 500 students—a 50% reduction—while increasing overall capacity from approximately 1,000 to 1,200 students would efficiently reallocate enrollment. Spreading classes over two facilities would improve the quality of learning, allowing individualized attention in modern, age-appropriate environments designed for students in Pre-K through 5th grade.

The new campus would be the backbone of the district’s early education system—a resource for early learners, families, faculty and the community.

Challenges

The new facility presented an opportunity to improve the early learning experience and build a strong Pre-K system that would enhance community engagement. But the opportunity came with challenges.

HUSD reallocated land between two established campuses to create the new early learning center. While using district-owned land saved money, repurposing it would have a significant impact on the adjacent schools and the surrounding community—disrupting traffic patterns and parking, increasing noise and creating a detrimental environmental effect. After preparing a study and implementing project mitigation measures, HUSD was cleared to start construction.

The innovative concept successfully reimagined the learning environment and increased HUSD’s overall TK-5 capacity by 20%, but it proved too expensive to execute conventionally using the Measure G funds available. The district had invested considerable time and resources designing a campus that met every priority and they didn’t want to compromise their vision by scaling back.

Instead of rethinking the design, they decided to rethink the process. They challenged the design team to find a way to bring the original concept in line with their budget without sacrificing the intent, aesthetics or functionality of the conventional plan.

The library at Hilmar Elementary School with bright yellow and green couches and bookshelves throughout the room

The Hybrid Solution

HUSD’s design team turned to modular construction, partnering with AMS to modularize the conventional plan to deliver the original vision faster and more affordably. AMS collaborated with PBK Architects to integrate modular and site-built structures in a hybrid design that efficiently met all needs while accelerating delivery on a tight budget .

Centrally located adjacent to the current elementary school, the new 42,680-SF campus is self-contained, serving the needs of Pre-K, TK and grades 1-2 in eight separate buildings—seven modular and one site-built.

The centerpiece of the design is an 8,600-SF AMS EVOLVE modular administration building that includes office space, as well as a child-friendly library featuring bright, cheerful colors and comfortable seating areas. The fully-custom building is pre-engineered to HUSD’s precise specs—an innovative concept that required creative assembly of a variety of module sizes and orientations, finished with exterior pop-outs to create a distinctive look for the new school.

The admin building connects to a large outdoor courtyard that flows into a modular classroom village. Six AMS FORM classroom buildings house 25 classrooms in three “neighborhood” pods: a TK/K wing and a K wing, two 1st grade wings and two 2nd grade wings—all with direct access to the courtyard’s recreation and sports areas, play structures and seating.

Each building is designed to be age-appropriate. The TK/K classroom design has a larger floorplan—a code requirement that provides ample space for a variety of play-based learning activities for energetic 4- and 5-year-olds. The first- and second-grade classrooms are open-concept, with modern amenities and education technology, including state-of-the art Smartboards in the second-grade classrooms.

The permanent modular buildings are a welcome upgrade to the cramped portables previously used. The classrooms are spacious, sunny and bright, with large windows that fill interiors with natural light and outdoor views. High-efficiency HVAC systems provide natural ventilation to maintain healthy indoor air.

A site-built multipurpose building completes the new campus, opening to an outdoor amphitheater with built-in seating for large group activities and events. A variety of outdoor recreational areas include hardcourts, playground structures and grassy areas where children can safely play.

A section of the playground at Hilmar Elementary School that holds blue swings on a blue mat

The Outcome

Years of planning, designing and redesigning paid off for HUSD and the Hilmar community.

The project was funded through the Measure G Bond approved by Hilmar and Stevinson voters in November 2018, allowing HUSD to issue $31 million in bonds to build the new school. Construction began in fall 2022, with all eight buildings delivered and ready to open in summer 2024.

The new Hilmar Elementary School will accommodate 600 students while providing a variety of spaces to host special events and activities on evenings and weekends and during the school’s summer break.

Now that TK-2 students have transitioned to the new school, and Elim Elementary has been reconfigured to focus on grades 3-5, overcrowding has been eliminated and programming can become more individualized. The state’s Universal TK requirements have been met and all students are learning in modern classrooms designed for their age groups.

The hybrid design makes the most of both space and budget, combining DSA-PC, Pre-Engineered and conventional designs to create a cohesive campus that meets a variety of needs, accommodates different activities and serves multiple age groups in a consolidated footprint.

The new modular buildings are structurally, visually and functionally indistinguishable from the conventional buildings originally concepted. They blend seamlessly with the conventionally-built multipurpose building to create a new campus with its own identity—a “no compromise” solution that fulfilled the community’s priorities with the funds available.

Success Factors

1

Strong Community Support

The local community was invested from the beginning—essential in securing both state and bond funding for new school construction. Community members were united in their vision for a new school and came together to pass a measure for the bond funding that made construction possible.

2

Flexible Project Team

The entire project team was committed to helping Hilmar achieve their shared vision and open to alternate solutions to bring that vision to reality. They worked together to combine different configurations of buildings and building types into a viable plan that could meet multiple needs and goals within HUSD’s budget.

The project is an 85/15 modular/conventional mix. Using AMS’ DSA-PC design for the majority of the buildings expedited the design and approval process, shortening the schedule while lowering costs to deliver the large-scale revitalization project more affordably. Without modular construction’s 30-35% cost savings, the district would have been forced to downscale its vision.

4

Staying the Course

The project was a six-year journey, with a multitude of challenges along the way. The community, school board and project team stayed the course, adapting to change and finding ways to keep pushing forward when obstacles arose.

An exterior view of Hilmar Elementary School from across the street

Share the vision

Hilmar’s hybrid design enriches early learning with an abundance of collaborative spaces and indoor/outdoor learning and play areas that connect students to each other and the world around them. It’s a safe, healthy environment that inspires young learners to explore, discover, create and cultivate their individual interests in inclusive, nurturing spaces built to meet their unique needs.

Want to see Hilmar’s vision brought to life? Take a tour!

Want to see Hilmar’s vision brought to life? Take a tour!

Creating your own vision

Hybrid design makes the most of any budget, balancing flexibility and cost to build the facilities you need with the funds you have available. The options are endless– and easily tailored to your district’s exact needs.

Modularize conventional designs to create a one-of-a-kind building. Combine buildings into a unique complex or a complete campus. Find your ideal mix of modular and stick-built to create whatever you need, wherever you need it.

Your vision, your way. That’s our way.

News & Resources

Related Content

View All Resources