Pampa ISD expands Travis Elementary

Consolidating public schools can be an unsettling idea. For the community of Pampa ISD, in the Texas Panhandle, architects Shiver-Megert & Associates developed a thoughtful solution to address aging facilities while improving student safety, campus security, and traffic management across the district. 

In May 2023, voters approved a $130 million Pampa ISD bond to fund the Travis Elementary School expansion, a new Career and Technology Education (CTE) facility, and upgrades to district-wide school infrastructure. To help communicate the vision, Shiver-Megert partnered with PRISM Renderings to create a time-lapse animation and photorealistic visuals showcasing Travis Elementary’s expansion to include the design, construction phasing, and long-term community benefits.

Built in 1959, the current Travis campus is undersized and outdated. It’s central location and available land made it ideal for consolidating students from one other Pampa ISD elementary, reducing traffic challenges while accommodating more students. The new design will:

·      Double student capacity from 400 to 1,000 students

·      Create multiple pickup and drop-off lanes to improve parent traffic flow, accommodating over 200 cars at one time

·      Add continuous sidewalks around the building to improve safety during student drop-off and pickup

·      Introduce a new student playground and basketball court

·      Provide a community playground area and turf field

The project will be completed in two phases to minimize student disruption:

1.        Phase One: A new addition is planned for fall 2027 opening, relocating 4th and 5th graders into the expanded facility.

2.        Phase Two: Renovations to the original campus begin and will be ready for 2nd and 3rd graders from Lamar Elementary by fall 2028.

By leveraging architectural animation and high-quality renderings, Shiver-Megert enabled Pampa ISD to clearly communicate the project’s value to the community. The visuals illustrated the expanded campus layout, traffic management improvements, student capacity growth, and project timelines.