Plumas Lake School District Approves New Elementary School

After years of failed bond measures and mounting enrollment pressures, the Plumas Lake Elementary School District has found a solution to its overcrowding crisis. In January 2025, the district's board of directors voted to build a new school campus that will open by 2027 without requiring taxpayer-funded bonds.

The decision comes as the district faces a student population of 1,717, already exceeding projections for the 2024-25 academic year. With three existing campuses—Rio del Oro Elementary, Cobblestone Elementary, and Riverside Meadows Intermediate—the district has struggled to accommodate its growing enrollment in this rapidly developing Yuba County community.

The new facility represents a strategic compromise. Rather than the $100 million full-sized middle school that voters repeatedly rejected since 2016, the district will build a $50 million campus designed as the first phase of a future comprehensive middle school. Two grade levels will relocate to the new site, immediately freeing up 225 seats and providing much-needed relief for overcrowded classrooms.

Superintendent Jeff Roberts explained the funding approach: the district will use $20 million in existing funds, secure $10-20 million in state matching funds, and borrow the remainder. Builder fees from 1,376 planned new homes in Plumas Lake could generate an additional $20.2 million to support the project.

The phased approach allows the district to address immediate needs while positioning for long-term expansion. Over the next three decades, the campus will gradually develop into a full middle school, complete with appropriate facilities like gymnasiums and lockers that the current intermediate school lacks.

Source: The Appeal-Democrat