The Killeen ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved an architect contract to renovate Palo Alto Middle School.
Palo Alto Middle School, which opened in 1995, is scheduled to close at the end of the current school year as part of the district’s optimization plan. Students will be rezoned to other KISD middle schools.
The renovated Palo Alto campus will become the future home of the district’s Gateway Middle School and Gateway High School Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). Students are expected to begin attending the Palo Alto facility for Gateway programs in August 2026.
The current Gateway facility is more than 60 years old and relies heavily on portable classrooms. Renovations at Palo Alto will include security upgrades, interior renovations, parking lot improvements, office reconfigurations and additional student support spaces designed to better meet the needs of Gateway students and staff.
District officials said repurposing the existing Palo Alto campus allows KISD to provide a safer, more modern learning environment for students while avoiding the significantly higher cost of constructing a new facility or renovating the aging Gateway campus.
The total project budget is approximately $2 million and includes construction costs, design and permitting fees, furniture, equipment and contingency funding. Construction is expected to occur in phases while portions of the building remain occupied, with substantial completion targeted for May 2027.