Crews are completing the final cleanup and finishing touches at El Rancho High School’s $70 million upgrade.

The community is invited to the opening of Don Memorial Stadium, three new sports fields and an aquatic center, starting at 5 p.m. Monday at El Rancho High School, 6501 Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera.

The project enhances athletic and recreational activities for students and the entire community in Pico Rivera, said Marco Villegas, superintendent for the El Rancho Unified School District.

“It’s a statement about our commitment to student opportunity, health and excellence,” he said. “We are proud to provide our students and community with spaces that inspire achievement, unity and school pride for years to come.”

The upgraded stadium boasts new turf, lighting and bleachers; upgraded baseball, softball and multiuse sports fields; as well as the new aquatic center, with a CIF regulation 33-meter pool, locker rooms, spectator seating and a digital scoreboard.

The project also includes new team rooms, lockerrooms, restrooms, concessions, ticket booths, coach’s offices, storage spaces, a weight room and a training room. There will also be new scoreboards, sports lighting, outdoor sound systems, walkways, netting, fencing, and general site improvements.

The high school construction project is funded by Measure ER, a $200 million school construction bond approved by voters of the El Rancho Unified School District in 2016. It would be the first facilities improvement at the school since the school first opened its doors in 1952.

The groundbreaking took place July 6, 2023, with demolition (at a cost of $2.2 million) of the old stadium and field. The sports fields and stadium project budget were $47.4 million and the pool replacement project came in at $22.2 million.

The grand opening on Monday comes on the heels of other good news from the district, with 14 schools serving 7,255 students. Sen. Bob Archuleta presented North Park Academy of the Arts with a certificate recognizing it as a School to Watch on March 14. North Park joins STEAM Academy of the Arts, which earned the designation in 2023 and Rivera Middle School, recognized in 2024 as part of a network of schools across California lauded for its supportive learning environments.

In other news, Birney Tech Academy has been recognized as a California Distinguished School by the California Department of Education. The El Rancho High School Academic Decathlon team won first prize in Division 2 for the state of California and work on the multipurpose room at Rivera Elementary School marks the start of renovations at all eight elementary schools in the district.