El Monte Middle School

Project Overview

Honoring the past.

Preparing for the future.

The El Monte community is proud of its Spanish heritage. When growing enrollment made expansion of the junior high a pressing need, school administrators had two core requirements: add custom space on a limited budget and maintain the Spanish architecture of the old campus in the new building design. AMS collaborated with the project team to design two modular classroom wings adjoining a new design-built administration center—a cost-effective solution that delivers a cohesive aesthetic with an adobe palette, exterior wainscoting and columns unifying the integrated structure’s rustic façade. A front loggia and metal tile roof with 8’ overhangs preserve the old Spanish feel outside, leading to modern, high-ceilinged, tech-enabled space inside.

• Open classrooms provide adaptable space for 21^st century learning  
• A rustic red pitched roof echoes the rooflines of existing buildings
• Large windows and a door window daylight the classrooms