Building History and Use
Highview Middle School in New Brighton, MN, serves nearly 900 students in grades 6–8 as part of Mounds View Public Schools District 621. The district spans seven communities across the northern Twin Cities metro. Highview’s programming includes gifted and talented options and a strong emphasis on supporting students through the social and academic transitions of early adolescence.
As one of the district’s three middle schools, Highview anchors an important part of Mounds View’s educational infrastructure. Like many buildings of its era, its mechanical systems were due for a modernization that could reduce energy costs and lower the building’s environmental footprint over the long term.
Why Geothermal?
Mounds View Public Schools has been building a track record of sustainability investment for years. The district completed solar installations on 13 school buildings, adopted a Renewable Energy Resolution committing to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and received recognition through the Shoreview Clean Energy Award. That sustainability momentum was reinforced when students in the district publicly advocated for greater environmental emphasis in facility decisions, which district administration took seriously in shaping its approach to future projects.
When the district evaluated options for improving building performance at Highview and other facilities, geothermal emerged as a strong fit. The technology offered a path to reducing reliance on non-renewable fuel sources, improving energy efficiency, and generating meaningful long-term operational savings, all of which were priorities the district had already committed to through its sustainability planning. Geothermal systems in the Mounds View portfolio use underground wells to safely transfer energy from the aquifer while protecting water quality, supplementing each school’s existing heating and cooling operations rather than replacing them outright.
The Highview project is one component of a three-school geothermal initiative across the district, alongside Irondale High School and Pinewood Elementary School. Together, the three projects are projected to generate approximately $165,000 in annual operational savings for the district, with energy savings comparable to the yearly electricity use of roughly 7,215 single-family homes.
Design and Construction
The Highview installation is a retrofit, integrating the Darcy groundwater geothermal system into an existing building without requiring replacement of the school’s full mechanical infrastructure. Two wells installed on the building’s exterior access the aquifer beneath the site, delivering 1,222 MBH heating and 377 tons cooling. A Multistack system positioned outside the building between the wellheads and the mechanical room serves as the thermal interface, connecting the geothermal loop to the school’s existing HVAC distribution infrastructure.
Wold Architects and Engineers provided architectural and engineering services for the project. The retrofit approach allowed the district to improve building performance significantly while keeping costs manageable and limiting disruption to school operations during construction.
A District Leading by Example
Mounds View Public Schools is emerging as one of the metro area’s leaders in geothermal adoption among K-12 districts, and is one of just a handful of Minnesota school districts using the technology at this scale. The Highview project reflects a district that has consistently connected its facility investment decisions to its broader values around student health, environmental stewardship, and fiscal responsibility.
As funding becomes available, the district plans to continue evaluating geothermal and other energy efficiency opportunities across its portfolio, with the Highview, Irondale, and Pinewood projects serving as a proven foundation for that future work.
