SWISD breaks ground on new middle, high school

San Antonio – The Southwest Independent School District broke ground Wednesday on a new middle school and new high school to be located at Watson and Somerset Road.

Southwest Legacy High School will be just the second high school within the district and the first built from the ground up in 40-years south of Highway 90, according to SWISD superintendent, Lloyd Verstuyft. 

The new 9th through 12th grade campus will be home to the district's STEM Academy, focusing on the studies of science, technology, engineering and math. 

The flagship high school of SWISD, Southwest High School, is currently home to 3,600 students.

Each campus should have 2,000 students once Legacy opens in 2017.

SWISD has grown by 500 students annually over the last five years, Verstuyft added. 

"We looked a research that talks a lot about creating opportunity and creating opportunities for engagement. So this high school is going to let us address our enrollment enhancements and it's also going to let us create other opportunities students would not have in a one flagship large high school," said the superintendent.

Legacy will be home to the Titans, whose team colors will be green, black and gold. 

Across from the high school will be Judith A. Resnik Middle School. 

Like the district's three other middle schools, the newest will be named after someone who perished in the Shuttle Challenger disaster. 

Opening in 2016, Resnik's mascot will be the purple and white Jets. 

Construction has already begun.

There are 13,500 students within SWISD