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Students at the Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto will be returning to a newly renovated campus after Thanksgiving break. The reopening marks the completion of the second Ravenswood City School District campus renovation.
The $25 million project was celebrated during a soft opening of the campus on Nov. 25 as construction workers put finishing touches on the buildings. While students are currently on break, teachers are setting up their classrooms in preparation for school on Monday.
The event brought together community members and local leaders who attended Los Robles as former Ravenswood students. They included San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, school board President Laura Nunez and county Office of Education Deputy Superintendent Marco Chavez.
“This moment represents far more than the completion of a construction project,” said Gauthier in her speech. “It is a powerful investment in our children, our families, and the future of our community.
All 25 modernized classrooms feature upgraded HVAC units, ventilation systems, warm-toned lighting, new walls and ceiling tiles. Los Robles is also now an all electric school.
“The structure is the same but pretty much everything was gutted and replaced,” said Assistant Superintendent Will Eger, who led the project from concept to completion within just over a year.
“These upgrades are not just cosmetics. They’re a real investment and a visual reminder of the new Ravenswood, not the Ravenswood of the past,” said Nunez. “This reopening is a reminder of what we can accomplish together.”
Classroom windows face toward a central courtyard that allows all students to look out into a green space which also features California’s first accredited arboretum on a K-12 campus.
Remodeling in progress at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Nov. 25, 2025. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
A view of the courtyard from inside a classroom at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Nov. 25, 2025. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Ravenswood City School District superintendent Gina Sudaria speaks during a tour of remodeling in progress at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Nov. 25, 2025. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy principal Alex Quezada speaks during a tour of remodeling in progress at the school in East Palo Alto on Nov. 25, 2025. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Remodeling in progress at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Nov. 25, 2025. Photo by Seeger Gray.
The school currently has over 100 trees of 25 unique species including ginkos, toyons, trident maples, Saratoga Bay laurels and more. The final trees were planted at the beginning of the year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in a districtwide collaboration with Canopy.
Community Forestry Manager Aubrey Knier explained that all the trees were selected by the school and were planted by members of the community. The project was funded by a grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, she added.
“When students walk into spaces that are beautiful, functional and designed for learning, it changes how they see themselves in the possibilities ahead of them,” said Chavez.
The city of East Palo Alto’s first football field is also being constructed at Los Robles with an estimated completion date in early 2026. The $4.2 million project was funded by nonprofits including the 49ers Foundation, NFL Legacy Grant, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Ravenswood Education Foundation and the Bay Area Host Committee.
Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy is the second Ravenswood campus to be renovated following the upgrade of Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in 2024.
Over winter break, the district is looking forward to reopening its third renovated campus at Bell Haven Elementary School. Costano Elementary School is currently in its design phase with plans to begin a two to three year construction process at the start of the 2026-27 school year, according to the district newsletter.
