Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees approve purchase of land for new schools

It is an exciting time for Del Valle ISD! The Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees approved the purchase of 149 acres of land to be used for the district’s second high school and future schools. Funding for the land purchase was approved in May by voters as part of the district’s 2022 Bond program.

The land is divided into two parcels, both in the Whisper Valley neighborhood on the north side of the Del Valle school district. The first parcel, a 78.1 acre plot near the intersection of Braker Lane and Taylor Lane, will serve as the site of DVISD’s second high school. The high school will serve approximately 2400 students in a growing part of the district. The second site of land, which is 71.1 acres, will serve as site for a future elementary and middle school. The 149.2 acres were purchased for $167,785 per acre.

As the cost of land in Del Valle has increased and progressively become more difficult to acquire, Del Valle ISD developed a partnership with Taurus Investment Holdings, the Whisper Valley community developers.  Superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle said, “We are extremely proud of this partnership and for the opportunity to build future schools in this beautiful community, as we are strategically planning for future schools to accommodate growth in Del Valle ISD. Prior to this purchase, we did not have suitable land for new schools, and this puts us in a great position to proactively respond to the growing needs of our school district.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Del Valle ISD to put education at the forefront for residents in Whisper Valley,” said Douglas Gilliland, Managing Director, Taurus Investment Holdings, the developer for Whisper Valley. “Our commitment to provide excellent schools has been part of our vision all along and today, we are making that vision a reality.”

Whisper Valley is a $2 billion green master-planned community in East Austin that will eventually have 7,500 homes and is the only affordable and sustainable community of this size in the country. Whisper Valley offers Zero Capable Homes which is compatible and supportive with the geothermal energy system the school district intends to use.

Construction on the high school project will start in 2023, with survey work already underway. August 2026 is the current target date for opening of the new high school.

The district held community, staff, and student informational meetings for the high school project throughout October. Project renderings, updates, and information about the district’s bond projects are available at dvisd.net/bonds.