Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy

Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy is the first early college high school in Texas that was built from the ground up as a free-standing facility on district property and dedicated to the early college high school concept. Designed to target first generation college students, the school strives to graduate students with up to 60 transferable college credit hours and guide them in their decisions about college and career.

When designing the space, both the architect and school administrators took into account the importance of good acoustics, leading them to nora^® flooring and noraplan environcare™. In addition to absorbing sound in the building’s large, informal meeting spaces, the floor provides an attractive aesthetic that unifies these spaces with classrooms, computer labs, lecture halls, corridors and dining areas in a pattern that hides dirt and protects against heavy foot traffic. School officials also appreciate the fact that the floor requires no waxing, stripping or buffing, lowering both the cost and time associated with routine maintenance. Additionally, the floor joined a number of sustainable features and products, including daylighting, low-VOC paint, geothermal and recycled materials, to help the school secure certification by the Texas Collaborative for High Performance Schools (TX-CHPS), the nation’s first green building rating program especially designed for K-12 schools.

The Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy takes a unique approach to education, providing traditionally underserved students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and two years of college credits at the same time. The facility itself is also distinctive, with a design that emulates a collegiate environment while maintaining the supervision appropriate for high school students.