This winter the much acclaimed and highly anticipated El Cerrito High School is scheduled to re-open. The school, which was demolished in 2005, has undergone an intense renovation process. Many are calling it the “Taj Mahal” of high schools. The 200,000 square foot, state-of-the-art campus located on Ashbury Avenue will include a 650-seat performing arts center, a solar-paneled roof that will generate 40% of the schools power, and an expansive courtyard.

The $116 million dollar price tag is a part of the West Contra Costa School Districts $1 billion bond reconstruction program which was designed to renovate a few dozen schools within the district.