Washburn Rural North Middle School

With over 6,000 students across the district and at present only a single school to accommodate all middle-level learners, Auburn-Washburn USD 437 requires a second middle school to help alleviate overcrowding.

The new middle school is being designed for a projected enrollment of 750 students and will allow the district to move the sixth-grade curriculum from their elementary to their middle schools.

The school aims to support students’ socio-emotional needs while embodying a “learning happens everywhere” ethos to ensure high-efficiency space allocation. Engagement with students through surveys and workshops revealed the need for students’ socio-emotional support. The design approach embraces this need by providing a school with purpose-built space supporting student autonomy, encouraging social engagement between classes, and celebrating personal identity and expression.

A primary circulation spine, known as the “Forest Walk” for its connection to the adjacent forest’s edge, consolidates public commons, dining, and library into a single “learning first” environment.

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Its unique blend of programs brings together typically underutilized program space to create a highly efficient and vibrant learning community that can be used continuously throughout the school day.

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The Forest Walk saved the school district nearly 10,000 sq. ft. without sacrificing any programming, creating new opportunities for facility and curriculum investment.