Transforming One of CCSD’s Oldest Schools

A newly rebuilt, state-of-the-art school awaited students attending John C. Fremont Professional Development Middle School on the first day of this school year.

By the numbers: Fremont Middle School, which is now a magnet school, first opened as an elementary school in 1955. But time took a toll on the original structure, located in an economically challenged area, requiring a new $33 million-plus campus to be built.

The big picture: The school attracts students from 86 different elementary schools across the valley. The Fremont Academy of Medical Sciences is the first of its kind within Clark County School District (CCSD).

The new campus is “fabulous,” Principal Abigail Johnson told the media on Aug. 7, following a tour of the school with CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara, School Board Trustee Brenda Zamora, and Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert.

“When you are in a nice, newer space, it just changes the environment,” Zamora said.

“We don’t have a limit,” Johnson said, touting the inspiration the new campus will provide.

• In addition to boasting three medical labs, there is a robotics room.
• The school will be laser-focused on math and science proficiency, Johnson said. Students will take math every day, doubling their math instruction, and there is an increase in the number of science-based electives offered.
• A Fremont Middle School institution that will continue is its award-winning Mariachi Azul.

The bottom line: “We want our kids to be competitive,” Johnson said. “We want to show them the world and empower them with skills to be able to pursue those fields.”

? Get a firsthand look at Fremont Middle School as it launched the new school year – and that of brand new Northeast Career and Technical Academy, too – in this special, bonus video: New Year, New Schools.