Campbell Middle School’s transformation will begin this month by making way for more buildings to accommodate a larger student body.

The school will be renamed the Campbell School of Innovation, and construction will be done to eventually accommodate students enrolled in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade.

The first phase will see the demolition of the A-wing, tennis courts and playground area. From February through summer, the campus will add a new A-wing, new playground areas for different groups, additional parking and a school garden.

Jim Crawford, the district’s deputy superintendent of administrative services, said the first phase will see the construction of four new modular buildings, which will provide the campus with 10 more classrooms.

“We’re working with the city to relocate the tennis courts,” Crawford said, adding that buildings left standing will get new paint, carpets and furniture.

The second phase, which could last from spring 2019 to August 2021, will see the C-wing be replaced with a new building and a new courtyard, a covered lunch area and driveway at Rincon Avenue. The third phase, estimated to begin in fall 2029, will see the design of a new gymnasium that could open in 2031.

When the school year starts next August, the campus will open to grades TK-4. Enrollment will grow to eighth grade by 2022, according to the district. Construction will determine when and how many grades will be added each year.

Only seventh- and eighth-graders are currently attending the school. Some students were moved to Rolling Hills and Monroe middle schools, and the district is adding buildings to those campus sites as well.

Former superintendent Eric Andrew kicked off the campus shakeup last year. At the time, Andrew said a survey taken by the school community showed that the middle school had a negative reputation and a declining enrollment. Adding more grades, according to Andrew, would allow students to build a sense of community on their campus site and hold older students to be role models for the younger children.

Since Andrew’s resignation in the summer, new Superintendent Shelly Viramontez has led the transformation effort.

The district intends for the new school to focus on creative problem-solving approaches used in local industry and teach students empathy. Teachers will receive additional training from experts at Stanford.

“Our society is changing rapidly,” Viramontez said in a district-released statement. “It’s critical that all of our students gain the kind of enduring skills and knowledge they’ll need for successful careers: creative problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Campbell School of Innovation will lead that effort for all of our schools.”

Parents can begin enrolling students at the school on Jan. 23. Parents will have to apply through open enrollment, then the district will determine which students get priority to attend the school.chool.