Mica Mountain High School

A $61.3 million bond narrowly passed by Vail School District voters, by a margin of 483 votes, in November 2018 allowed the school district to move forward with the first phase of the Mica Mountain project, for which $35 million was earmarked.[2] The district direly needed to build the first phase to alleviate overcrowding that had led to high school gyms and libraries being used as overflow classrooms.[2] Additionally, the Vail Inclusive Preschool program, which had been housed at Cienega High School, would relocate to an expanded space on the new campus.[2] Land was acquired in May 2019 for the school; both the $6.5 million land cost and a further $22 million toward construction were contributed by the Arizona School Facilities Board.[3]

Nemer Hassey, who had been the former Cienega High football coach, was tapped to lead the new school. A 200-member committee handled school design, including naming and mascot selection; Mica Mountain is the highest peak in the Rincon Mountains, while the Thunderbolts moniker refers to the summer monsoons and the A-10 Thunderbolts at nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.[1]