Las Cruces’ Columbia Elementary School opens new facility for 2025 school year

Las Cruces, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Seven years ago, Columbia Elementary School was shut down when dangerous mold was discovered in its walls.

Now, students, teachers and staff are enjoying a brand new campus as the 2025 school year begins.

Principal Michelle Valdez took over the year before the campus had to close.

"My second year, we were evacuated in a day. We went from here across the fields to Vista Middle School, finished the day there, and then Friday morning, we were at Centennial (High School)," Valdez said.

Columbia’s rebuild featured an expanded footprint — from 87,000 to 103,000 square feet — and separate buildings for the gymnasium and cafeteria.

The school’s theme is space exploration, inspired by its longtime mascot, the Explorer.

“It looks like you’re flying through space,” Valdez said during a tour of the campus.

All classrooms are already in use, as students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade settle into their new spaces.

The second phase, set to open at the end of August, will add the new gymnasium, cafeteria and library.

A final phase, featuring off-site drainage improvements across the street, should be complete by December.

Being away from their home campus took a toll on Columbia's enrollment.

The school had 465 students before the closure, but the number dropped to 180 by the end of the last school year at Centennial. This fall, the school welcomed back 540 students.

“That’s what the community wanted more than anything — their school back,” Valdez said. “We even had people walking across the street for the first time in years. We hadn’t seen walkers in seven years.”

The school's principal said the scenic view and natural light stand out as her favorite features.

“It doesn’t feel like an institution. It feels like a home,” she said. “After all this time, it just feels really, really good to be back.”