Canton broke ground Thursday, Sept. 17, on the new William H. Galvin Middle School, a $241.7 million rebuild that is the largest capital project the town has undertaken in years.

State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who chairs the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), joined Canton school officials at the 10 a.m. ceremony at 55 Pecunit St., the Franklin Observer reported. The new 218,350-square-foot building will rise next to the existing school.

The new Galvin will hold 1,020 students in grades 5 through 8, expanding from the current grades 6-8 configuration that serves 718 students. It will include an 800-seat auditorium and flexible learning spaces.

Students will remain in the existing building while Consigli Construction Co. builds the new school next door. Ai3 Architects designed the project, and LeftField Project Management is overseeing it.

Construction crews have been on site since summer 2026. More than 20 geothermal wells were being drilled to heat and cool the new building as of July, a new loop road was built around the property for student drop-off and pick-up, and temporary parking lots were going in on both sides of the campus, according to the Ledger's July reporting.

The School Building Committee submitted completed construction documents to the MSBA in early June, clearing the way for the main construction phase.

Superintendent Derek Folan expressed enthusiasm for the project in July, writing on the project website: "We are thrilled to see it start. As we move from the stages of planning to actual construction, I want to thank Canton for supporting this project and our students."

The path to this point was long. Canton applied to the MSBA four times over four years before the agency accepted the Galvin project into its Core Program on March 2, 2022, according to the Canton Citizen. The MSBA Board approved a grant of up to $72.8 million for the rebuild on Aug. 28, 2024.

Canton voters then authorized the project at a Special Town Meeting on Nov. 18, 2024, and passed the debt exclusion on Dec. 10, 2024, with 74.2% voting yes.

The target opening is September 2028. After students move in, the old building comes down that fall to make room for athletic fields and parking. The Mutch Rink, a longtime fixture on the property, is being relocated to the Raven Road side of campus, with a target reopening during the 2029-30 school year. The full project is expected to wrap up by July 2029.

Canton Community TV filmed the Sept. 17 ceremony and said the full video would be posted at CantonCommunityTV.org.