ACE LEADERSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

ACE Leadership High School was founded with an ambitious mission: to prepare young people who are interested in exploring careers in architecture, construction, and engineering professions. Serving students who often have limited access to traditional pathways into these fields, ACE is deeply committed to supporting their intellectual, physical, and emotional well-being. The campus was envisioned not only as a place of learning, but as a launch point—creating a seamless transition from high school to college or industry apprenticeship while anchoring long-term career success.

At ACE, architecture, construction, and engineering are not peripheral subjects; they are the framework through which all learning occurs. The curriculum is delivered through a project-based learning model in which students actively design and build in every class. Targeted mini-lectures introduce key concepts, which students immediately apply through hands-on exploration, inquiry, and technology-driven collaboration. This real-world approach mirrors professional practice, cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, and a strong sense of ownership in the learning process.

The planning and design of the school itself became an extension of this educational philosophy. SMPC collaborated closely with students, faculty, and administrators, using the project as a teaching tool to demonstrate the full lifecycle of a building—from early programming through construction. The process included student and faculty brainstorming sessions, neighborhood forums, and weekly collaborative meetings between ACE representatives, the design team, and the contractor. During construction, students visited the site at key milestones, gaining firsthand exposure to construction sequencing, materials, and decision-making within a live project environment.

Delivered in two phases to support enrollment growth while maintaining continuity of operations, the campus balances flexibility with durability. Phase One, completed in 2015, provided 22,780 square feet of instructional and support space for up to 320 students in grades 9–12, including a re-engagement center serving evening students returning to school. Phase Two, completed in 2018, added 8,200 square feet, expanding capacity to approximately 450 students. Across both phases, the design supports hands-on career and technical education, multiple learning configurations, and strong connections to industry partners and the surrounding community. The completed campus reflects ACE’s belief that learning is most powerful when education, environment, and real-world practice are fully aligned.

Photography by mattophoto