Forest ridge school of the sacred heart

education DESIGN — master planning — community

Bellevue, WASHINGTON

For over 115 years, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart has provided an exceptional education in an environment specifically designed for girls. CAST architecture worked with Forest Ridge to develop a campus master plan to support the next century of Sacred Heart education.

Largely dating from the early 1970s, infrastructure and building systems across Forest Ridge’s hilltop campus are simultaneously reaching the end of their lifespan.

Working closely with the leadership and staff, CAST developed a detailed needs assessment, analyzing how existing instructional, commons, and ancillary spaces support the school’s progressive curriculum.

The study revealed that while the chapel, theater, gymnasium, and athletic fields remain strong assets, many instructional spaces are inefficiently configured, and gathering spaces such as the student commons and cafeteria are undersized for current and future enrollment. Addressing these shortcomings will improve the student experience and better align facilities with the school’s educational mission.

CAST identified several high-impact, incremental projects to guide future improvements. These include renovations to improve accessibility and reorganize instructional spaces, expanding the cafeteria and lower-school commons, and creating a comprehensive campus landscape master plan. Together, these projects will strengthen community gathering, support outdoor learning, and preserve the historic identity that makes Forest Ridge unique.