Liberty High School Engineering Agriscience and Farming Academy

Nestled in the heart of California’s agricultural breadbasket, Liberty High School’s LEAF Academy in Madera, California represents the culmination of over a decade of planning, collaboration, advocacy, and passion for Golden Valley Unified School District (GVUSD) and its surrounding agricultural community.  With Madera County producing over $2 billion in agricultural commodities each year, the vision to expand and preserve the proud legacy of agriculture through CTE pathways at GVUSD is well underway.

Boasting stellar FFA and 4-H membership within their county and District, GVUSD’s vision to create a new Engineering Agri-Science and Farming Academy at Liberty High School was wholeheartedly supported.  The design team was tasked with guiding the programming as they developed the master plan for the CTE site, bringing the community’s vision to life through a thorough community planning process.

Automotive, Welding and Metal Shop, Woodshop, Ornamental Horticulture, Forming Technology, and Animal Sciences were selected as the first phase of development, with room for expansion to Culinary Arts and Catering, Butchering, Water Treatment and Filtration, and Advanced Farming Techniques in future phases.  Working with both the District and CTE grant writers, SGH Architects helped GVUSD claim the 3 highest scores for rural school districts in the CTE program – awarding the district nearly $9M in funding for this project.

With a passionate agricultural community driving the planning conversations, the LEAF Academy is a direct reflection of both the rich heritage and the future farming innovation of this District and community.