School construction was on the radar during 2017, from charter schools to private schools to universities in the Phoenix area this year.
It also was a big year for Arizona's three publicly traded universities — with one getting out of the public markets altogether.
The $1.1 billion sale of Phoenix-based Apollo Education Group Inc. closed in February, trading on Nasdaq under the symbol APOL for the last time.
Now owned by a consortium of investors, the parent of University of Phoenix has had a rough year, laying off faculty and employees, preparing to close campuses and seeing a continued decline in enrollment. UOP President Tim Slottow left the company a month after the merger closed.
By September, UOP stopped enrolling new students at 32 campuses and learning centers across the nation.
Scottsdale-based Universal Technical Institute (NYSE: UTI) also had a rough year facing declining revenue and enrollment. But a financial improvement plan drove $39.7 million in fiscal 2017 cost savings as the school gears up to address the growing demand for skilled technicians nationwide.
Phoenix-based Grand Canyon Education Inc. (Nasdaq: LOPE), however, had another record-breaking year in enrollment, revenue and net income.
The private Christian university is doing so well it is freezing tuition for the 10th consecutive year on its ground campus at 33rd Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix.
GCU is on track to spend $100 million a year on new construction to keep up with the growing demand on its campus, building dorms, classrooms, parking structures and other projects.
Dorms were a popular construction project in 2017, with Arizona State University embarking on a $120 million dorm for engineering students on its Tempe campus, while Ottawa University is building a $20 million campus in Surprise, complete with dorms.
Charter and private schools also had their share of construction, with Great Hearts breaking ground for schools in Scottsdale and Maryvale, while AAEC Early College High Schools started construction on a $7 million campus next to Mesa Community College.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix broke ground for a $23 million high school in Avondale, while Shea Homes donated $11 million in renovation and construction projects to Catholic schools in the Phoenix area in 2017.
