A more than 50-year-old elementary school in South Boise is set to be replaced with a brand-new campus that will more than double student capacity.West Ada School District leaders, students and neighbors gathered Wednesday for a groundbreaking ceremony at Lake Hazel Elementary, where construction is already underway on a new $26 million school.I dont think the building makes the school; I think its the people in it, fourth grade teacher Cortney Randall said. WATCH: Take a look inside the old school and see students help break ground on the new one Students help break ground on the new Lake Hazel Elementary coming to South BoiseRandall has been working at Lake Hazel Elementary for 13 years and said staff and students have continued to make the most of the schools aging facilities.Pretty incredible things are going on despite thin walls, leaking ceiling and wedge-shaped rooms, she said.PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Classroom construction: Upgrades still in progress at Lake Hazel Middle SchoolRandall and her students actually have to pass through the classroom next door to reach their own, which causes regular disruptions. That's the case for pretty much all the classrooms in the building the ones on the interior of the school also don't have any windows providing sunlight from outside.Even after years of memories, Randall says an upgrade will be a welcome change.I do think having just facilities, toilets that flush well, you know, rooms that dont leak, cooling and heating systems that are consistent and its not Antarctica or the Sahara Desert I think that helps kids be able to focus on their learning, Randall added.The new school will use the same blueprint as Independence Elementary in Star, which West Ada opened earlier this school year.RELATED | Teachers are moving into Independence Elementary ahead of welcoming more than 600 students Funding for the project comes from House Bill 521, passed in 2024, which freed up $1 billion statewide for improvements to aging school facilities.Students joined district leaders Wednesday in scooping the first shovels of dirt at the site where the new school will stand.Craig and Bonnie Kutterer have lived next door to the school for about 37 years and also attended the ceremony. The couple said their family has decades of history with Lake Hazel Elementary.We moved in one weekend, and the next week our son was going to kindergarten, and that was in '89, and our other son came through here, and then our grandson actually was here for a year in fifth grade, Bonnie Kutterer detailed.While they are excited about what the new building will provide for kids, the couple said it will be difficult to see the old school demolished.Its gonna be hard to see it go down, though, yeah we hate to see the old one leave, but its OK. It happens, and its gotta be the way it is, Bonnie and Craig Kutterer said.The new school will fit about 850 students, up from roughly 320 at the current building, which will eventually be torn down.If construction stays on schedule, the new Lake Hazel Elementary is expected to open by the first day of school next year.This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less