The community of Uvalde marked a major step in its healing journey Friday with the opening of Legacy Elementary School, built to replace Robb Elementary, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in 2022.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony filled the new campus with emotion and hope.

"Today, we stand together, students, parents, educators, leaders, and community members, not just to open a new school, but to open a new chapter in our shared story," Uvalde CISD President Laura Perez said.

School built to honor victims

Legacy Elementary is located two miles from the original Robb Elementary site. Perez emphasized that the new school is not about forgetting, but about honoring the past.

"This school is not about forgetting. It's about remembering with dignity, rebuilding with courage, and choosing to believe in the future even when the past still hurts," she said.

North Texas firm led design

Huckabee Architects, based in Fort Worth, designed the new school. CEO Chris Huckabee described the building as open and welcoming, while incorporating modern security features.

"It is very open. There is a lot of security worked into those openings, but nonetheless it has the feel of a traditional school building that you would see today anyway," Huckabee said.

Memorials built into the campus

The new school is twice the size of Robb Elementary and includes tributes to the 21 lives lost, including a memorial tree.

"We were not going to let that town suffer," Huckabee said. "That we were going to step up and good people were going to do the right thing."

Classes begin later this month

Perez closed the ceremony with a message of unity and hope.

"Let us begin together with hearts that remember, hands ready to build, and eyes lifted toward a future filled with hope," she said.

Classes at Legacy Elementary are scheduled to begin later this month. The school was built using $60 million in donations, grants, and community support. It will serve third, fourth, and fifth grade students.