Middleton broke ground on Freedom Elementary School, a new campus designed to relieve years of overcrowding that has pushed some of the district's elementary schools to 150% of their original capacity. WATCH: Middleton school le aders break ground on Freedom Elementary School Middleton breaks ground on Freedom Elementary SchoolThe groundbreaking ceremony marked a milestone for families and staff who have watched classrooms overflow as the community has grown. Nicole Holloway, assistant principal at Mill Creek Elementary, said her own fourth-grade daughter has been among the students affected and was among those who voted on the new school's mascot."She voted for Eagle, so she's excited she won," Holloway said.RELATED | From name to mascot: Middleton students help shape new Freedom ElementaryHolloway said the overcrowding has forced creative solutions at her school."We've had to sometimes have classes inside of our staff lounge when we didn't have rooms available before we got portables," Holloway recalled.Middleton School District Superintendent Marc Gee said the district has been adding temporary classrooms for years to keep pace with growth.PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Middleton School District faces overcrowding challenges: Proposed $19.9 million bond for new school"We've had to add temporary classroom after temporary classroom to the point that we have 24 classrooms in our elementary schools that are temporary," Gee said.Gee noted the strain goes beyond just numbers."That just puts a stress on the building. It puts a stress on all the employees there," Gee explained.School Board Chair Pamela Waggoner said the overcrowding has also created traffic problems around schools. She said the new school's road plan is designed to address that.PREVIOUS COVERAGE | New state funding could bring a new elementary school to Middleton"It will connect into the subdivision, and that is where parents will pick up and drop off, and then there'll be another road that you can come around behind the school," Waggoner pointed out. "There will be not even any access from Highway 44."Freedom Elementary's first phase will have room for about 400 students. Once both phases are complete, the school could serve about 700 students potentially creating relief at all three of Middleton's existing elementary schools.Gee said that "community members and households don't have to increase their taxes in order to see this school built a huge win for everybody in Middleton.""It makes a big difference for us having this school to alleviate that capacity," Gee said.Holloway said the community is ready for what comes next.PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Middletons new elementary school gets a name after community vote"Middleton is just super excited for this opportunity, so we're excited to see the new school start getting built and you know just the new opportunities that will come with that," Holloway said.District officials said they plan to re-zone the district once the school is built, meaning exact boundary lines have not yet been decided.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