(El Paso Independent School District – Nov. 1, 2022) – The El Paso Independent School District will celebrate the completion of Captain Gabriel L. Navarrete Middle School, the 13th campus in the district’s bond program, during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.  

Navarrete Middle School opened its doors to more than 900 students in August. The school comes together as a consolidation of the former Armendariz and Bassett middle schools located in Central El Paso. The $40 million campus boasts modern learning spaces with cutting-edge education technology, a gymnasium, a library, a fine arts wing, and ample student drop-off zones.   

“The building of the new Captain Gabriel L. Navarrete Middle School is the latest in a long line of accomplishments that make El Paso ISD a wonderful place to inspire your children,” El Paso ISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra said. “Our decades-long partnership with Fort Bliss is indicative of our mutual commitment to educating our youth. We are confident that these new learning spaces will empower our students with the best tools for them to thrive and find success in the future.”   

Navarrete Middle School is the sixth El Paso ISD campus on Fort Bliss grounds, making El Paso ISD still the only school district in the area with schools on post. The agreement between Fort Bliss and El Paso ISD includes a 25-year lease with an annual fee of $500. The school district will have the option to renew for another 25 years at the end of May 2044.   

The namesake of the campus, Capt. Gabriel L. Navarrete is recognized in the El Paso community as a military and community hero. Navarrete was part of Company E, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, an all Mexican-American unit primarily composed of young men from El Paso that fought in World War II. Navarrete served as the El Paso County Veteran Services officer after the war.   

Equally important to modernization and right-sizing the school district, the construction of the new Navarrete Middle School will be instrumental in jumpstarting the revitalization of areas that surround the campus on Fort Bliss.