Defying National Trends, East Mountain High School Expands to Middle School Grades

SANDIA PARK  — East Mountain High School officially broke ground Tuesday on a major expansion project that will introduce a new middle school curriculum, expanding the public charter school’s footprint and academic reach in the East Mountain community.

The multi-phase project will allow the long-standing high school to serve middle school students earlier, beginning with an incoming class of 96 sixth graders.

“Today is an exciting day, not just for our school, but for public education in New Mexico,” said Dr. Trey Smith, the school’s executive director. “At a time when many schools across the country face uncertainty, East Mountain is growing. We are seeing record enrollment, growing waitlists, and increasing demand.”

The construction project will roll out in two distinct phases. Phase one involves building a new parking lot on the far end of the property, scheduled for completion by July. This will clear the way for a modular building to house the incoming sixth-grade class.

Phase two will feature the construction of a 27,000-square-foot facility to be shared between the high school and the new middle school program. The building will include a library, media center, cafeteria, and music room, providing a dedicated community space for the mountainous region.

The expansion is supported by substantial state and local funding, including $1 million in capital outlay from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Local lawmakers also directed critical capital funding to the project, including State Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, and State Sen. Anthony Thornton, R-Cedar Crest.

Lord, who noted she prioritizes securing state capital outlay funding for charter programs each legislative session, kept her remarks brief due to the summer heat but emphasized the vital role local educators play in the project’s success.

“I want to make sure that I take a moment to thank our teachers, because you’re the ones doing all the hard work,” Lord said. “I just have to give you money, but the great thing is this is when I get to actually come out and see things working, and I am incredibly proud to have  funded part of this project.”

Thornton, who allocated funds toward the school’s construction plans and baseball field upgrades, emphasized that the expansion will help prepare younger students for a rapidly changing technological economy.

“It allows East Mountain to reach students earlier, inspire them sooner, and build a stronger foundation in literacy, math, science, and also in their character and integrity,” Thornton said. He also commended the school’s culture of excellence, noting the East Mountain Timberwolves baseball team’s recent Class 3A state championship victory and a student team’s top honors in the Governor’s STEM Challenge for designing an autonomous wildfire-fighting robot.

The project brings together architectural and construction firms with deep historical ties to the institution. SMPC Architects, which designed the high school’s original four buildings, is returning to design the expansion alongside project manager North Star. Franken Construction is serving as the general contractor.

“We really built our foundation of a company constructing schools for communities like this,” said Brent Franken, who took over as president of Franken Construction on Jan. 1.

For the East Mountain community, the groundbreaking represents the continuation of a localized educational vision that began decades ago when local businessman Roger Cox donated land to establish a school alternative to long bus rides into Albuquerque.

Ryan Berryman, a 2011 East Mountain graduate who serves as the chair of the East Mountain High School Foundation and is an athletic director at the University of New Mexico, recalled how challenging the commute used to be when local students only had the option to attend Manzano High School in Albuquerque.

“I recall the bus left my neighborhood at 5:30 in the morning to head that way, and I can tell you when I made the decision about which high school I should go to, leaving at 5:30 and coming back from basketball practice at 8:30, the decision became pretty clear to me,” Berryman said.

Berryman praised the founding members of the foundation who fundraised, took out a mortgage, and built the school’s initial four metal buildings. He noted that their early work is now measured by the alumni who carry East Mountain with them everywhere they go.

Looking forward to the middle school expansion, Berryman recognized the volunteer foundation board—including Vice Chair Joshua Smith, Treasurer Ryan Knight, and board members Chelcie Ospino, Amanda Maes, and Charlotte Nee—for years of planning and debating to make the day a reality.

“Our board is here today and has worked for years contemplating, debating—a lot of debating—and envisioning what a day like this may look like,” Berryman said. “So this group of volunteers dedicated their time, energy, and expertise and effort so that their vision now can be fulfilled by the future students that grace these hallways.”

“The new middle school means future students will get those same opportunities even earlier,” added Miller Millea, a 2026 East Mountain graduate who delivered the opening remarks. “It means more room to grow, more students discovering their passions, and more young people prepared to lead New Mexico.”

Following the remarks, school officials, state dignitaries, foundation board members, faculty, and students gathered with shovels to take part in the traditional groundbreaking photography to mark the official start of construction.