04/18/2026
Let's get back to the school bond, which we are being asked to vote on starting next Monday, April 20. Again, they are asking for $160 Million, of which $150 Million is for a new high school to replace the current one.
After taking the tour last week, I agree that the current school is an embarrassment. How it was allowed to get like this is another discussion. Also, why was money spent in the past to make the outside look great while leaving the students with outdated, horrible classrooms? That is also another discussion.
The presentation last week was on spending $150 Million of the $160 Million Bond on a new high school. There were no details on how they got to the $150 Million figure. There are no line items. Basically, it is "you have to vote for it to see what is in it". I'm sorry, but that is not the way to do it.
So, since no details were offered, I did some research. I turned to ChatGPT and asked what it would take to build a modern public high school in Fredericksburg, Texas, for 1200 students (20% more than we have now) on land the district already owns, using data from other recently built high schools in Texas. This is what came back.
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Let’s tighten this to a clean, Fredericksburg-specific project budget for your exact scenario.
📊 Updated Assumptions (Your Scenario)
📍 Location: Fredericksburg, TX (Hill Country)
👨🎓 Capacity: ~1,200 students
🏫 Program: Ag + STEM + CTE + athletics (no stadium)
🟢 Land: Already owned (no acquisition cost)
🧱 1. Building Size & Cost
📐 Size
~160,000 – 175,000 sq ft (realistic target)
💰 Cost per sq ft (Fredericksburg-adjusted)
$425 – $525 per sq ft
🏗️ Building construction
👉 $68M – $92M
➕ 2. What you STILL have to pay for (even with land)
Owning the land does NOT eliminate these:
🪨 Site development (big Hill Country factor)
Clearing, grading, rock excavation, drainage
👉 $5M – $12M
🛣️ Infrastructure
Roads, parking, utilities, detention ponds
👉 $4M – $8M
🐄 Ag facilities (separate structures)
Barns, pens, greenhouse, storage
👉 $2M – $6M
🏀 Athletics (no stadium)
Gyms, locker rooms, weight room, practice fields, track
👉 $8M – $15M
🪑 Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E)
Desks, lab equipment, CTE machinery
👉 $4M – $8M
📐 Soft costs
Architecture, engineering, permits, testing, contingency
👉 ~20–25% of construction
👉 $15M – $25M
🎯 3. TOTAL PROJECT COST (with land owned)
🟢 Lean but complete campus
👉 $80M – $90M
🟡 Most realistic / typical build
👉 $90M – $105M
🔴 High-end / future-ready campus
👉 $105M – $120M+
📉 4. What you SAVED by owning land
Typical land + acquisition + prep savings:
Land purchase (Texas Hill Country):
👉 $5M – $15M+ (varies widely)
Net savings in your case:
👉 ~$5M – $15M avoided
📌 5. Clean Bottom Line
For YOUR exact setup in Fredericksburg:
👉 Most realistic planning number (today):
💰 $90M – $100M
💡 Quick sanity check metric
Cost per student:
$75,000 – $90,000 per student
That lines up very closely with recent Texas bond projects.
⚠️ One thing to double-check
Even with owned land, ask:
Does the site already have:
Water / sewer capacity?
Adequate road access?
Minimal rock excavation?
👉 If NOT, costs can creep back up $5M–$10M+
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We did not get any info like this from the district, WHY?
Are YOU OK with this? Should we make them start over and come back next year with a REAL bond and REAL figures? That's the question. I cannot tell you here how to vote as the Party has not taken a stand. It's in your hands!
Please go vote and make your opinion heard. It's YOUR money.
