Salem Academy Christian Schools has chosen Rich Duncan Construction to lead a major expansion. The project will rise on the academy’s Lancaster Drive campus. It is set for completion in the fall of 2027.
The school has been part of Salem for more than 75 years. Founded in 1945, it began as a small private school with a Christian mission. It has since grown into a PreK-12 program. It serves students from more than 80 local churches. It sends graduates to college. It teaches them to hold faith and knowledge together.
Enrollment has climbed. Retention is strong. Families look for stability in a changing city. The academy has reached the point where space is scarce. The expansion is not a choice. It is a need.
Permits are expected by winter 2025. Groundbreaking will follow. Construction will take two years. The finish date is fall 2027. The new building will carry the school forward.
Rich Duncan Construction will guide the project. The company is local. It was founded in Salem in 2002. It has earned trust in the Willamette Valley. The firm builds schools, healthcare clinics, and offices. It has done work for the Oregon School for the Deaf. It has done work for Howard Street Charter School. It knows how classrooms should be built.
For the firm, this partnership is personal. “I have four kids that go to Salem Academy,” said Nathann Cooke, vice president of operations at Rich Duncan Construction. “The chairman of the board, Rich, also has a few grandkids there, and we are just extremely passionate about Christian education. Being a part of something like this—building an institution that is going to make a difference in the community and in the lives of young people for years and years to come—is very meaningful to us.”
The company has been honored for its work. In 2022, the Salem Chamber of Commerce named it “Business of the Year.” It has been listed among Oregon’s best places to work. It values honesty and integrity. It finishes projects on time. It keeps a steady hand.
The Salem metro area has been growing. More than 400,000 people now live in Marion and Polk counties combined, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Families continue to move into the valley. Schools, both public and private, face higher demand. This is not only Salem’s problem. Oregon has seen steady population growth over the past two decades. That growth puts pressure on education, housing, and infrastructure.
Private schools like Salem Academy often feel it first. Parents want smaller class sizes. They want a faith-based track. They look for stability when public school districts face cuts or strikes. Salem Academy has filled that role. But its buildings were built for a smaller era.
Cooke sees the expansion as more than bricks and mortar. “I think the world continues to be in need of sources of hope, and Salem Academy can bring that,” he said. “With this new facility, it’s going to open up opportunities to serve more kids and families, and it’s just going to be an awesome thing.”
The expansion speaks to that pressure. It also speaks to planning. The school has a master plan. This project is part of it. More space means more students can be served. More classrooms mean less crowding. It allows the mission to continue.
Rich Duncan Construction also benefits. The project secures steady work for the firm over two years. It reinforces its role as a go-to builder in the mid-valley. Education construction is a stable sector. Oregon has invested heavily in school facilities over the last decade. Builders with experience in that niche have an advantage.
Salem Academy builds for the future. Rich Duncan Construction builds with it. The ground is not yet broken. The building does not yet stand. But the decision is made.
The work will take time. The building will last longer. It will serve a generation not yet old enough to walk its halls.