Enrollment growth spurs multi-million expansion of Mascoutah schools

MARCH 13, 2026, 12:19 P.M. The article and headline were changed to correct the total cost of the projects.

Mascoutah School District has a slew of projects on the horizon, from additions at schools to a new career and technical education space. Superintendent David Deets said growth propelled the new developments.

The board is moving forward with additions both at the high school and Scott Elementary school, plus converting a former store into the Mascoutah Career Center for hands-on CTE learning.

The board is moving forward with additions at Mascoutah High School and Scott Elementary School, plus converting a former store into the Mascoutah Career Center for hands-on career and technical education learning.

Deets said the district’s reserves will pay for these projects; the district won’t have to take on new debt or large property tax hikes to finance them.

Illinois publicly-funded school enrollment has consistently decreased since 2018; statewide enrollment in 2025 was roughly 7.6% less than that of 2018, Illinois Report Card data shows. Mascoutah’s total enrollment saw some year-to-year increases and decreases during that timeframe, but 2025’s enrollment was nearly 7% greater than that of 2018, according to Report Card data.

Mascoutah High School enrollment, in particular, has experienced steady growth, the data shows, with 2025 representing a 14% increase over 2019.

“(Growth) is the big issue that triggered a snowball effect,” Deets said, that “snowball effect” being expansive projects at the schools.

He attributed increased enrollment to the success and growth of Scott Air Force Base, other large employers and infrastructure such as Boeing, and the school district’s successes making Mascoutah more desirable, increasing property values.

“I think it’s a testament to the strength of our community as a whole,” Deets said.

Mascoutah High School additions and renovations

With an estimated total cost of $20,248,000, Mascoutah High School will see three new additions around August 2027, Deets said.

The addition on the north end of campus will be a new media center and lobby area, which will allow the district to convert the current media center into more cafeteria and commons space and add more student services offices, such as counseling.

That’s much needed, Deets said. Limited cafeteria space means more lunch periods, with the earliest at 10:10 a.m. and the latest at 1:47 p.m. Students also eat lunch in the hallway and library, he said.

More practice space, offices and storage for band and chorus also will be added to the back of the building. As enrollment grows, so does interest in the district’s fine arts programs, Deets said.

Deets said the district plans to drastically expand its career and technical education programming over the next few years, and a new wing for career and technical education and vocational classrooms, located on the northeast part of the building, is part of the effort.

The addition will allow some of the district’s current career and technical education programming, such as welding, to advance and will add new programs, including cosmetology, health care, construction management and more, Deets said. Spaces will be flexible to account for shifts in workforce demand and programming changes, he said.

The board accepted bids for the high school additions and renovations at a special meeting in late February, Deets said. Construction is set to start in the summer.

Dedicated CTE building

The district plans to transform the old Dollar General, located off State Route 4, into a Mascoutah Career Center for the hands-on components of career and technical education and vocational training.

The building, which the district closed on last month, cost $700,000, Deets said. The board is expected to approve bids next week, which will then give a more accurate budget estimate, he added.

Deets said the center will focus on general trades and construction. For example, students may use the space to build sheds, put up drywall and practice electrical and plumbing skills.

Currently, Mascoutah students attend the Collinsville Area Vocational Center for career and technical education the district doesn’t offer. Deets said he believes that can be a barrier to students who otherwise would enjoy career and technical education programming for a variety of reasons: It’s at least an hour round-trip commute out of the school day, and students are limited in what classes they can take at the high school. It’s also time they have to spend away from their friends on the Mascoutah campus.

Hence the necessity of a dedicated career and technical education building and more career and technical education classrooms at the high school, Deets said.

“We’re just hoping to bring back as many programs as we can to Mascoutah,” Deets said. Deets said the goal is to open the center in the fall and do additional renovations over the next few years.

Scott Elementary addition

The district is also looking to expand its special education programming. After the high school’s addition, it will have enough space to allow for this, but the elementary levels will not.

The district also is looking to expand its special education programming. After the high school addition, it will have enough space to allow for this, but the elementary levels will not.

As a solution, Scott will get a six-classroom addition, expected to be completed by fall 2028. Deets said architects are starting the design, and preliminary estimates put the addition’s cost at about $4 million or $5 million.

Could a primary center be next?

The board is in the early stages of working with architects to design a primary school to sit on the land the district purchased just north of the middle school, Deets said.

Currently, Mascoutah Elementary is maxed out on space, Deets said. If the plan goes through, kindergarten and first grade would move from Mascoutah Elementary to the primary center.

Prekindergarten also would move from Wingate Elementary School to the primary center.

Unlike the other projects, funding has yet to be secured for a primary school, but Deets cautioned it’s too early to know whether it would require voter approval or tax implications. He said it will be at least a year before the district sees the design. Deets projected it will take about a year for the design to come back and further action be taken.

As many Metro East school districts are issuing bonds to fund additions and facility improvements, Mascoutah has been able to foot the bill for many of its projects so far by dipping into its reserves. This means it isn’t relying on upcoming property tax collections to repay new debt and expects its property tax rate to hold steady or decrease.

Deets credited current and previous administrators and school boards for the financial decisions that built up the district’s reserves. He also said Mascoutah has a diverse range of funding streams in addition to property taxes compared with some other area districts, especially from the federal government given that over half of its students are military impacted.

This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 12:22 PM.