Sherman ISD's newest campus is close to finished, but the district's youngest students will not move in until next school year.
In an update posted Thursday, the district said the Kate Wakefield Early Childhood Center will open for the 2027-28 school year. Staff will use the spring semester to bring in furniture, set up classrooms and finish the building before the fall start.
Two centers become one
The new school combines the students and staff of the Fred Douglass and Perrin early childhood centers in a single, larger campus with room for up to 660 children in pre-kindergarten and Head Start.
It sits where Wakefield Elementary stood, near Sunset Boulevard, Robin Drive and West Pecan Street. The old elementary served the neighborhood from 1957 until it closed in 2025 to clear the site. The district is keeping the name of Kate Wakefield, the former Sherman ISD teacher the original school honored.
The 94,000-square-foot building includes classrooms designed for young learners and for special populations, an indoor activity gym, a playground, secure outdoor classroom and play areas, and a storm shelter built to FEMA standards. VLK Architects designed it and CORE Construction is the general contractor.
