Originally named the Dayton Learning Center, the now Rockingham Academy, resides between the Massanutten Technical Center and newly remodeled Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Harrisonburg, VA. The former Dayton Learning Center, which operated out of Dayton, VA, has been around for many years and was due some major renovations. Instead of renovating the existing facility, the most appropriate option was to build new.

As part of the Rockingham County School System, this facility will house the local Alternative Education Program for all four Middle and High Schools in the area. With the area rapidly growing, and more educational space needed, the Rockingham Academy provides a clear solution for that issue.

Comprised of 15 new classrooms, a gymnasium/multi-purpose room, special education room, administrative offices, and a nurse’s clinical room, this alternative education facility is nothing short of adequate. In addition to all of those components that make up the Rockingham Academy, it also features a teaching kitchen, technology shop, computer lab, media center, teacher’s workroom and kitchenette, and 13 water closets.

Structurally, this new building consists of a concrete slab-on-grade, CMU load-bearing walls, steel bar joists and roof deck, membrane roofing, and a brick-faced exterior. The interior of the Rockingham Academy is complemented with painted CMU walls, wooden cabinets produced by Legacy Cabinets and Millwork, a division of Nielsen Builders, laminate countertops, acoustical ceilings, a fully equipped gymnasium with basketball goals, and VCT flooring.

The Rockingham Academy is a project that will serve the Rockingham County School System for many years to come. It sits in a nearly perfect, central location with 3.53 acres of land, and has been designed to accommodate the constantly growing population in the area. Needless to say, this facility has been well designed and thought out for future adaptability.