Mundelein High School District 120 officials broke ground Wednesday on the Facilities Improvement Project voters approved in a referendum last November.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was held on the west side of the high school in an area where new classrooms will be added. The physical work on the facilities project started in March as the workers began to repurpose the former MHS Annex into the new home of the District 120 Transition Center.

“While this moment is marked with shovels and soil, what we’re really digging into is our future - the future of our students, our community and the generations to come,” D120 School Board President Peter Rastrelli told a group of about 50 people gathered to celebrate the occasion. “This project represents so much more than upgraded buildings and modernized classrooms. It’s about creating an environment where students can thrive.”

The $149.5 million referendum will fund building improvements designed to upgrade aging infrastructure, solve overcrowding, and improve safety at the school. It will also enhance instructional spaces and add space to improve career and technical education programs.

Improvements will focus on common spaces that were part of the school’s original 1958 design, such as the cafeteria, kitchen, gymnasium and auditorium. The project will include additional classroom and storage space and a multi-purpose fieldhouse for physical education and health and wellness classes, tournaments and community events.

An enhanced Career & Technical Education would allow students the opportunity to learn skills in building trades and manufacturing, two of the fastest growing jobs in Lake County.

The project will take about three years to complete. District 120 administration will work closely with architects from Wight and Company and Elara Engineering. Work on the additional classrooms on the building’s west side will begin in August. Work on the fieldhouse, gymnasium and cafeteria will begin in May of 2026.

Construction schedules will focus on safely and expeditiously completing construction while minimizing impact to the normal operations of the school day and co-curricular programs. The goal is to open spaces as soon as possible throughout the sequencing of construction operations.