District 196's New Activity Centers Are Almost Open — Here's Where Every Project Stands
TLDR
District 196 has spent about $243 million of its $538 million voter-approved bond so far.
Apple Valley High School's new activity center opens this November.
Eastview's gym floor is done; the new Rosemount Middle School keeps rising.
Twelve schools are under construction this summer.
The district has earned $28 million in interest by managing the money carefully.
District 196 gave its latest building update at the June 8 school board meeting, and the big takeaway is simple: the finish line is in sight. The activity centers Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Eagan families have been hearing about for years are about to open their doors.
Where the Money Stands
Voters approved the $538 million "Building Our Future" bond back in May 2023. Here's the snapshot the district gave:
$400 million has been issued so far, with a final $100 million coming in spring 2027.
$243.3 million has actually been spent.
About 73% of the work is locked in and underway, and 23% is already finished.
The district has earned $28 million in interest by investing the bond money smartly while it waits to be spent.
That last number matters because it's money the district didn't have to ask taxpayers for. If you want the flip side of how all this gets paid for, we covered the district's 12.8% property tax levy increase for 2026.
Apple Valley High Opens in November
The headline project is Apple Valley High School's new activity center, set to open this November. To get there, crews poured the concrete floor in one massive continuous pour on May 7 — nearly 500 cubic yards of concrete delivered by about 50 trucks, with the crew working roughly 19 hours straight, from 5:30 a.m. until 12:30 the next morning.
Over at Eastview, the 35,000-square-foot gym floor is finished. The district said students will be bouncing balls on it within months.
The New Rosemount Middle School
The new Rosemount Middle School — a 230,000-square-foot building — keeps taking shape. The district showed a drone time-lapse stitched together from photos taken at the same four spots since June 2025. Once it opens, the district will reimagine the current (and oldest) Rosemount Middle School building. Road and construction activity has been heavy around that part of Rosemount; for nearby work, see the Connemara and Akron roundabout project.
The Cool Stuff You'll Never See
A couple of the more impressive pieces are hidden on purpose:
At Eagan High School, crews finished an underground stormwater system beneath a future parking area. It holds 22,053 cubic feet of water — more than 168,000 gallons, or about a quarter of an Olympic pool — and quietly filters rainwater before it leaves the site.
At Rosemount High School, a main hallway ("Link B") was fully torn out. It's being rebuilt 10 feet wider, with expanded counseling space, a new classroom wing, and a renovated media center. It's the first of three hallways that will close over the course of construction.
Rosemount High principal Pete Roback summed up the mood: the school had been "waiting for 25 years for something like this," he said, calling it a chance to set up the building for "the next 40 to 50 years."
A Busy Summer
This is the biggest construction summer yet, with work across 12 schools. Three summer-school programs got temporarily relocated (Scott Highlands to Highland Elementary, Falcon Ridge to Blackhawk, and Valley Middle School of STEM to Apple Valley High). Other summer work includes new secure entrances at Dakota Valley Learning Center and the School of Environmental Studies, a new boiler at Apple Valley High, a new HVAC system at Southview Elementary, and a new loading dock at Rosemount Elementary. Apple Valley itself is in the middle of its own civic building boom, like the community and senior center project.
The Bottom Line
After three years of dust and detours, the payoff is arriving. Apple Valley High's activity center opens in November, with Eastview close behind and the rest rolling out through 2027. Board members were invited to tour the spaces — and so can you, once they open. You can watch the full update on the District 196 TV YouTube channel.
FAQ
When does Apple Valley High's activity center open? November 2026. Eastview's is close behind, and Eagan and Rosemount follow in 2027.
How much of the bond has been spent? About $243 million of the $538 million approved. Roughly a quarter of the projects are already done.
Is the new Rosemount Middle School still on track? Yes — the 230,000-square-foot building keeps progressing. The district plans to repurpose the old building once students move in.
Will construction mess up the school year? Most of the heavy work happens in summer. At Rosemount High, students learned new routes when the first hallway closed, but the district planned around it.
How is the district earning interest on bond money? It invests the cash that hasn't been spent yet. So far that's brought in about $28 million — money that stretches the program further without asking taxpayers for more.
