Malibu Middle School breaks ground on next phase of campus plan

By The Malibu Times · Sun Sep 27 2026

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District celebrated the groundbreaking of Phase 2 of its Malibu Campus Plan on Sept. 9, marking the start of a new middle school hub and gymnasium on the campus shared by Malibu Middle and Malibu High schools. 

Plans for the hub include an innovation and filming lab, food service, and outdoor dining areas, a special education and life skills suite, and a wellness center. The work is intended to give middle school students more dedicated space as the district develops separate middle and high school campuses. 

“Today is about creating a campus that supports the whole student, not only in the classroom, but in the ways they learn, connect, move and grow,” Malibu Middle School Principal Greg Schellenberg said in the district update. “We’re incredibly excited to see this vision begin to take shape for our students and our community.”

Phase 2 follows the completion of the new Malibu High School building in 2025. A later phase of the campus plan calls for an aquatics complex with a 40-meter pool, locker rooms, and storage for water and track sports. 

The middle school improvements are part of Measure MM, the $395 million school bond approved by Malibu voters in 2024. The bond program also supports facility improvements at other Malibu school sites. 

With construction taking place between two active school sites, the district has asked families and neighbors for patienceduring the work. Residents can sign up for the district’s Neighborhood News (www.smmusd.org/departments/communications/neighborhood-news) for construction updates and follow the Malibu campus project (fip.smmusd.org/school-sites/school-sites) online.