MIDDLETON, Idaho — Middleton School District’s long-awaited new elementary school now has a name.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: New state funding could bring a new elementary school to Middleton
After more than 1,500 community members cast votes, the district announced that Freedom Elementary has been selected as the name for its newest school.
The final vote totals were:
- Freedom Elementary: 573 votes
- Kingsbury Meadows: 471 votes
- Frontier: 464 votes
The district thanked the community for taking part in the naming process, saying the name will represent the students and families who will eventually call the school home.
The school is the latest step in a project Middleton School District has been working toward for years as the district faces continued growth and overcrowding at its elementary schools.
In November 2025, the district announced it had been approved for $11.1 million in state funding through the Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund. The district planned to combine that money with another $8 million in state modernization funds, covering roughly two-thirds of the projected cost of the new elementary school.
At the time, Superintendent Marc Gee said the district hoped to break ground in summer 2026, with the goal of welcoming students to the new school by fall 2027. The groundbreaking is now expected to take place on September 2.
But there was an important condition attached to the state funding: Middleton needed to hold another bond election in May and have that bond fail.
That happened.
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With the May bond failing, the district remained eligible for the state funding, keeping the project moving forward without relying entirely on local property taxpayers to pay for the new school.
The school site is located within Star city limits on land donated by Corey Barton Homes.
Now, with the school's name decided, the district is moving on to another piece of the school's identity.
Next week, students from Purple Sage, Heights and Mill Creek elementary schools will vote to select Freedom Elementary's mascot from options developed by the district's naming committee.
The district says another announcement will follow once students have made their choice.
For Middleton families, the name is another milestone for a school that has been years in the making — and one the district hopes will help address the growing demand for classroom space as the community continues to expand.
