West Fork High School

New West Fork High School Opens

New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School on Sorters-McClellan Road south of Kingwood Drive celebrated its grand opening on August 23, 2022. Here’s a video of the event. I’ve been following the construction of the school since early 2020.

Construction is the riskiest period in a project as we saw with the aborted Woodridge Village project. Sheet flow during heavy rains flooded Elm Grove Village and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019, largely because of the failure to follow best practices. Contractors cleared 270 acres before building required detention ponds.

No Flooding During Construction

However, New Caney ISD built a large detention pond at the low end of the site when it started construction. They also planted grass in it right away. Luckily, TA DA, no one flooded during construction. And no major erosion problems were observed. Amazing how safety improves when you follow best practices.

Pictures of Completed Campus

Here are pictures of the school taken 9/4/22, Sunday morning when no students were around. The campus looks beautiful and will make a welcome addition for New Caney ISD students in the area.

Wide shot showing whole campus including detention pond. Looking NE across Sorters-McClellan Road toward HCA Kingwood Medical Center in background.
Closer shot looking in same direction.
Looking NW from SE corner of site over the detention basin.
Track, field events, baseball and a dedicated athletic facility on the left.
Looking directly west at back of new high school.
Looking south from north end of main complex.
Central open-air courtyard, a signature feature of the new school. Gives more classrooms sunlight.
Completing the circle. Looking NE again from SW corner of main building.

Historical Photos of Construction Progress

To look back at the sequence of construction photos starting in June 2020, see the links below.

Congratulations to New Caney ISD, its students, and all the neighbors who survived construction.

There’s still a little work left to do. The road in front of the high school is widening. A pile of dirt at the north end needs to be removed. And pipe, most likely for irrigation, still remains in places. But I think we can safely close the books on this project.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/4/22

1832 Days since Hurricane Harvey