Lodi Unified School District (LUSD) held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on the new Samuel L. Gantner Elementary School in Lodi, California. The HMC Architects design team joined district officials, school staff, and distinguished community members in commemorating this milestone for the school.

The new 13-acre campus, the district’s first in 20 years, will relieve overcrowding at nearby schools and serve 650 students from TK-sixth grade. The campus is master planned with the ability to expand to serve an additional 200 students. When it opens in 2028, students will enjoy shared collaboration spaces between classrooms and a variety of outdoor learning environments for all student classroom clusters.

The school is named for Samuel Ganter, a Lodi native who died defending our country during World War II. During the ceremony, Samuel’s family and the district superintendent spoke about the importance of the day and the history behind the school. Both emphasized the emotional, yet celebratory, energy of the day and were proud to honor Samuel with a school that would impact generations of Lodi students.