The Agua Fria High School District celebrated a historic milestone on May 1 with the official groundbreaking of the Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater, set to open in August 2026. Developed in partnership with the City of Litchfield Park, ADM Group, and McCarthy Building Companies, this innovative campus advances the District’s mission to create academic choice, craft student character, and cultivate community.
Nestled atop the historic La Loma Hilltop, the event was far more than a traditional ceremony, it was a celebration of creativity, possibility, and artistic vision. Student performers set the tone with powerful displays of talent, while guests walked the red carpet, sipped mocktails, and mingled under the open sky. Student dancers added elegance through their poised presence, and a talented student artist, Autumn Wodrich of Verrado High School, painted a live mural of the school’s newly unveiled emblem, a majestic peacock, symbolizing pride and creative expression. Every detail of the event was intentionally designed to reflect the prestige and purpose of the future Hilltop School, a soon-to-be cornerstone of artistic and cultural excellence in the Southwest Valley.
“This is truly a project unlike any our District has undertaken before,” said Governing Board President Kristen Acton. “The Hilltop will be a place where student dreams take shape and where the arts are recognized as more than a passion, but a pathway to lifelong careers.”
Born from the District’s 10-year strategic plan and driven by community demand for greater access to the arts, the Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater will include high-tech classrooms, recording studios, an art gallery, a professional-grade theater, and more.
As part of the District’s Academies of the Southwest Valley transformation, the Theater will be designed to showcase student performances and host professional artists, creating a dynamic space where education meets industry. Through collaboration with industry professionals, students will gain real-world experience and explore the arts as a viable career pathway, guided by expert insight and mentorship.
“The theater will serve not only as a stage for student performers,” Acton added, “but as a place of learning, where world-renowned artists come to the Southwest Valley to inspire and perform for both our students and our community.”
As future students, families, local artists, and influential leaders gathered to mark this groundbreaking moment, the vision for the Hilltop School was unmistakably clear: to become both a beacon for young creatives and a cultural hub for the region.
For more information about the new arts school or the District’s academic programs, visit aguafria.org/artsacademy.