A groundbreaking ceremony for the new East Kapolei Middle School will be held 10 a.m. Thursday across the street from The Salvation Army Kroc Center Hawaii.

The campus, scheduled to open in the 2020-21 school year, is designed to serve 1,050 students in grades 6 through 8 upon completion. It will help accommodate the growing population in the area.

The ceremony will be at the construction site, which is across Maunakapu Street from the Kroc Center.

The school, on an 18-acre parcel of state land, is intended to have a focus on science, technology, engineering and math. The $59 million first phase of construction includes the administration building, library, cafeteria, music building, classroom buildings and covered and open play courts.

A second phase is slated to include health and physical education facilities as well as two more classroom buildings, depending on additional funding.

The school’s energy-efficient buildings, designed to maximize natural ventilation, are organized around a central commons or outdoor gathering space.