New Eastside Elementary Boundaries Approved

The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously on May 21 to approve design guidelines and attendance boundaries for the future Ofelia Valdez-Yeager Eastside Elementary School, clearing one of the last local steps before construction begins. The new campus is planned for Riverside’s Eastside neighborhood near 14th Street and Howard Avenue. District officials said the board action lets Riverside Unified submit its education specifications to the state for final approval before summer construction starts. When the school opens in fall 2028, district projections show nearly 800 elementary students will be reassigned from seven existing campuses to the new site. ### Which boundary map did the board choose? Eight boundary options were presented to the board, but trustees approved the option that runs from University Avenue on the north to the 91 Freeway on the west, with Dwight and Douglass avenues on the east and a southern line cutting through the Victoria Club. Rita Ayala, an Eastside resident, told the board that option was “the most inclusive” and made “the most common sense,” according to The Riverside Record’s account of the meeting. (riversiderecord.org) The May 21 vote also included an amendment giving families in Areas A, D and G priority if they choose to transfer their children to the new school. Riverside Unified said the boundary-setting process included community meetings at Lincoln High School in August 2025 and a district poll for families. ### How many students will move, and from where? (riversiderecord.org) District projections presented with the boundary plan show nearly 800 students living inside the new attendance area would move to the Eastside school when it opens. Those children are now divided among seven elementary schools, according to The Riverside Record. (riversiderecord.org) Earlier district and local reports described the project as a neighborhood school meant to serve Eastside students who now attend campuses outside the area, including Longfellow, Castleview, Emerson, Pachappa, Magnolia and Alcott. A 2023 state environmental filing described the campus as a TK-6 school for up to 800 students with about 33 classrooms. (riversiderecord.org) ### What did the board approve besides the map? Assistant Superintendent Orin Williams told the board on May 21 that the education specifications are focused on “safety and security,” a “magical learning environment” and a “strong connection to the community.” The specifications set district expectations for classrooms, playgrounds, lighting and specialized spaces such as science and music rooms. (raincrossgazette.com) The design work builds on plans the board reviewed in July 2024 for a campus with separate play space for younger students, a central courtyard, a multipurpose room and shared recreational areas next to Lincoln High School. PBK Architects’ Jeff Johnson told trustees then that the site was tight and urban, requiring the design team to maximize available space. (riversiderecord.org) ### Where will the school be built? State environmental records place the project near Park Avenue and 14th Street, adjacent to Lincoln High School, on a site of about 7 acres. The filing says the project includes about 61,150 square feet of new building space and requires street and alley changes tied to the campus footprint. The school has since been formally named for former school board member and education advocate Ofelia Valdez-Yeager. (riversiderecord.org) Riverside Unified’s project page says the campus is intended to serve Eastside families and that the district sought public input before locking in attendance boundaries. ### What still has to happen before students arrive? (ceqanet.lci.ca.gov) State approval is the next formal step. Riverside Unified must submit the newly approved education specifications to the state before construction can begin, and district officials told families on the project page that groundbreaking is planned for this fall. (raincrossgazette.com) Fall 2028 is the opening target cited in the district’s latest boundary materials and The Riverside Record’s May 22 report. The project itself was previously described as a roughly $118 million campus, and Riverside Unified has already moved through environmental approval and earlier design review as it advances toward construction. (riversiderecord.org)