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A New Learning Hub Is Coming to Southern Utah: Inside Custom Class’s Plans for a New Community Education Building
A Major Building Project with an Ambitious Timeline
The planned facility will include approximately 30,000 square feet of two-story educational space attached to a 40,000-square-foot field house. The project is currently progressing through its financing and approval process. According to information shared during the meeting, Custom Class has secured investors for its bond and is working toward closing the bond in late October or early November 2026.
Meanwhile, the organization has been moving forward with engineering, bids, and construction planning. One West Builders, a company experienced in building similar educational facilities throughout Utah, is lined up to construct the project. With the engineering work, bids, and subcontractors lined up, the team hopes to begin construction promptly once financing closes.
One West Builders projects that construction could be completed by the end of July 2027, potentially allowing the facility to open in time for the 2027–28 school year. The timeline remains dependent on the project moving forward as anticipated.
Spaces Designed for More Than Traditional Classes
The building plans include a variety of specialized learning spaces intended to support different interests, activities, and educational approaches.
One standout feature is a 60-by-30-foot makerspace. Similar in concept to makerspaces found at libraries and universities, it is expected to include equipment such as 3D printers and laser engraving machines. Students and instructors could use the space for hands-on projects, creative exploration, and specialized classes.
Other planned spaces include:
The range of spaces could make the building useful to a variety of educational groups, instructors, and community organizations—not just those operating within Custom Class itself.
A Field House with Many Possibilities
The attached 40,000-square-foot field house is another major component of the project. The design calls for two large courts with bleachers between them, allowing the space to accommodate a variety of activities.
Potential uses include indoor sports, hockey, performances, graduations, and other large gatherings. Its flexible design could make it useful to educational organizations and community groups that need a substantial indoor venue.
The field house and its proximity to the city's recreational facilities could also create opportunities for activities that combine indoor and outdoor experiences.
The Learning Commons: Support for Flexible Homeschooling
One of the most distinctive features planned for the new building is the Learning Commons, a dedicated area where Custom Class students will be able to schedule time during school hours to work on their schoolwork with staff support.
For some families, this model could offer a helpful middle ground between learning entirely at home and attending a traditional school full time.
Parents who want to remain actively involved in their children's education may occasionally need time to work, manage appointments, or handle other responsibilities. The Learning Commons is intended to give Custom Class students a place to focus on their studies, work independently, and receive assistance from staff while their parents attend to other needs.
The concept reflects the flexibility at the heart of personalized homeschooling: families can maintain a home-centered educational approach while accessing additional support when it is useful.
Opening the Doors to the Wider Homeschool Community
The building is being designed with community use in mind. Rather than limiting access to Custom Class students, the organization wants to create opportunities for educators, instructors, and community members to offer learning experiences in the facility.
The basic arrangement already exists at Custom Class's current building: groups serving at least 50% Custom Class students can use available space without paying a rental fee (provided they carry the required insurance). The current facility also has evening availability, offering opportunities for groups and individuals to use the space outside regular school hours.
The new building will significantly expand those possibilities. Custom Class is still developing the details of its future scheduling and rental policies, including how priority will be given to groups serving Custom Class students and how other community users can access the facility.
The goal is to encourage educational use while also allowing the building to serve the broader community. Some organizations may qualify to use space at no cost, while other users may rent rooms or facilities for appropriate events. For homeschool families, this could create opportunities that might otherwise be difficult to arrange.
Imagine a local photographer who wants to teach a photography class but doesn't have an appropriate space. Or a professional who would love to teach students about website development, engineering, science, or another area of expertise but cannot afford to rent a classroom. A community facility designed to support learning could help turn those ideas into actual classes and experiences.
The building could also provide room for educational groups that need a larger or more suitable location than they currently have.
Room to Grow with the Community
The 10-acre property offers room for future development beyond the main building. Custom Class is considering possibilities for later phases, potentially including smaller modular buildings, additional facilities, and a greenhouse. Smaller standalone spaces near the pickleball courts could eventually offer opportunities for student or community entrepreneurs to sell products and services to people attending nearby recreational activities and events.
A trail along Horseman Park Drive is also part of the anticipated development, in response to city requirements.
These additional ideas are not all finalized plans. The broader vision is to develop the property in phases, allowing future additions to respond to the needs and interests of the community as the project progresses.
Growing to Meet Demand—and Expanding Options for Students
The new facility comes as Custom Class continues to grow. The organization had a student cap of 400 for the current school year but received enough interest to obtain approval to enroll 5% above that limit, bringing enrollment to 420 students.
According to the growth figures shared during the meeting, Custom Class expects its cap to increase to 560 students for the following school year and 920 students in the 2028–29 school year.
Custom Class is also developing a part-time option for students who attend public school but want to pursue particular interests or earn credit through other experiences. For example, a student involved in dance might seek to fulfill a physical education credit through that activity, while another student interested in veterinary medicine might explore an internship that could contribute toward science credits.
This option is still in development, but it reflects a broader philosophy: meaningful learning can take place in many settings, and students benefit when their education can connect with their interests, talents, and future goals.
A Resource for Southern Utah’s Homeschool Community
For Desert Blossom Homeschool Resource Center, learning about the project firsthand offered a glimpse into how the region's educational landscape may continue to evolve.
A facility of this scale, with specialized learning spaces, flexible classrooms, a large field house, and opportunities for community use, could help expand the kinds of educational experiences available to families. Just as importantly, it could give local instructors, organizations, and professionals a place to share their knowledge with students.
As the project moves through its remaining approvals and into construction, Desert Blossom will continue connecting homeschool families with local resources, organizations, and opportunities that support home-centered education.
The building is still taking shape, and some details remain under development. But the vision is clear: to create a place where education, community, and individual interests can come together in new ways.
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