UC Riverside and the Riverside Unified School District are in the process of evaluating a potential site for a proposed STEM high school.

The campus and school district agreed in 2015 to work together on plans to expand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, opportunities with a partnership that builds on the success of the district’s Riverside Stem Academy.

In August, UCR and the RUSD board agreed to conduct a preliminary exploration of a 6-acre campus site at the southwest corner of Blaine Street and Canyon Crest Drive. Three other sites were previously considered as part of the search process, but ultimately not chosen.

Students, faculty and staff members, and neighbors will have an opportunity to provide input on the location as part of the process, said Gerry Bomotti, vice chancellor of Planning, Budget & Administration.

A community meeting for neighbors is scheduled for Nov. 6 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center, rooms D and E. Tables with information about the proposed high school will be available starting at 5 p.m. UCR and RUSD will provide an overview of the proposal and invite attendees to comment on any and all aspects of the project, Bomotti said.

Future campus-focused forums, including a town hall meeting for students, are planned in the coming months.

UCR and RUSD have both created websites with more information, including an FAQ, on the proposed STEM high school.  Learn more at the UCR site and the RUSD site.

The RUSD board will decide on a site next summer, which will be followed by an environmental review process that will take about a year to complete.

The proposed high school, consisting of a three-story facility with about 30 classrooms, labs, and other uses, would serve about 800 students in grades nine-12.

The school district will fully fund the STEM High School’s construction costs, estimated at $64 million, and is responsible for planning, design, construction, and operations.

UCR has agreed to provide land for the school pending approval from the UC Regents. The campus would charge the district $1 under a land lease that would go before the UC Regents for a vote sometime in late 2021, if everything moves forward as planned.

RUSD estimates the STEM High School could open by fall 2024.