Key Takeaways
- Windham Woods School in Windham, N.H. is developing a 125,000-square-foot athletic dome projected to cost $9.1 million, fully privately financed through donors and more than 60 corporate partnerships
- The facility would include 16 sporting configurations, a FIFA-regulation turf field, basketball and volleyball courts, pickleball courts, golf simulators and a performance cardio center
- $4.3 million has already been committed as of October, at no cost to taxpayers
- Windham Woods is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving 208 students with mild to moderate learning challenges across 91 cities and towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
- Named partners already include 98.5 The Sports Hub, ConvenientMD and Become Elite Soccer, with advertising packages actively being sold through the dome’s dedicated website
A School Built for Different Learners, Now Building for Athletes
Windham Woods School opened in 2019 after a local family donated nearly 250 acres of land and a building to establish a school for students struggling to find the right educational fit. The school focuses on students with mild to moderate learning challenges, including dyslexia, ADHD, language impairments and school-related anxiety. Its hands-on, individualized model is designed for students who learn best by doing, according to founding member and head of school Ryan DeJoy.
Since opening with 46 students and 17 faculty members, the school has grown to 208 students in grades 1 through 12, 107 faculty members and 49 learning spaces, adding more than 35,000 square feet of classroom and learning space. But the campus was not originally designed as a traditional school and still lacks a gymnasium, fields and courts.
“There isn’t a gym here, there isn’t a field, there isn’t a court,” DeJoy said. “If students wanted to participate in competitive athletics, many have to return to their home districts.”
125,000 Square Feet of Multi-Sport Programming
The proposed dome, officially branded as “The Dome at Windham Woods School” and marketed through a dedicated website (wwsdome.org), would include basketball and volleyball courts, pickleball and street hockey courts, a FIFA-regulation indoor turf field, golf simulators, an athletic training and weight room, a sky deck performance cardio center, a children’s playground and a cafe. It would host competitive sporting events, corporate outings, trade shows and private functions.
The facility is designed with flexibility in mind, offering 16 sporting configurations. When not in use by Windham Woods students, it will be available for rent by local school districts, businesses and organizations. DeJoy expects the dome to attract tournaments and special events from across New England, with more than 100,000 annual visitors projected.
The school secured property at 41 Range Road, less than two minutes from its 39 Roulston Road campus, for an off-campus site that is more visible and build-ready. Planning began in June 2024, with floor plans finalized and Pugliese Contracting, a Windham-based general contractor that previously built classroom space for the school, secured as contractor by December of that year. A capital campaign launched in January 2025, followed by site plan development and architectural renderings by spring. Pending town approvals, construction could begin immediately with completion projected for later this year.
Privately Financed With Sponsors Already Signed
School officials say $4.3 million has already been committed as of October, largely through private donors and more than 60 corporate partnerships. The project will be completed at no cost to taxpayers.
The dome’s advertising and naming rights program is already active. Named partners include 98.5 The Sports Hub, Boston’s largest sports radio station, which is promoting the facility; ConvenientMD, which is sponsoring the children’s playground; and Become Elite Soccer, a local club whose owner, Carl Ashley, has publicly endorsed the project. The dome’s website markets tiered sponsorship packages including naming rights, logo placement in monthly newsletters and complimentary rental opportunities based on partnership level.
Tom Murray, a Windham resident and CEO of Pugliese Contracting, called the opportunity rare for a privately financed school project. Selectman Bruce Breton, a longtime supporter, described the campus as a “hidden treasure” and noted the community benefit of public access when the school is not using the facility.
Student Experience at the Center of the Investment
The dome will allow students to join teams, develop leadership skills and explore new sports in a supportive environment. The school also plans to offer after-school and weekend opportunities for students to assist with facility operations during community rental hours, giving them hands-on experience in communication, organization and customer service.
For a school built around students with learning differences, the addition of competitive athletics and extracurricular programming addresses a gap that academics alone cannot fill. Each prior expansion has focused on classroom space to meet enrollment growth. The dome marks a new phase, extending the campus into athletic infrastructure for the first time.
Where This Fits in the National Facility Landscape
The Windham Woods project arrives during a surge of privately funded youth sports facility development across the country. In July 2025, Bisnow reported on what it called a “billion-dollar building boom” in youth sports construction, citing projects including a $1 billion youth sports development in suburban Orlando and Springfield, Illinois’s $65 million SCHEELS Sports Park, which features the nation’s largest air-supported dome at 190,000 square feet. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play 2025 State of Play report identified a facility “arms race” as one of the year’s defining trends.
Closer to home, Masters Academy International announced an $83.8 million redevelopment of an 82-acre campus in Stow, Massachusetts, underscoring that New England is part of the facility investment wave.
At $9.1 million and 125,000 square feet, the Windham Woods dome is smaller in scope and cost than these mega-projects but follows the same playbook: private financing, flexible multi-sport design, community access and a revenue model built around tournaments, rentals and corporate partnerships. For a 501(c)(3) school serving students with learning differences, the project also adds an uncommon dimension, using athletic infrastructure to close an accessibility gap that most traditional school settings take for granted.
Source: Derry News, Jamie L. Costa, March 5, 2026, The Dome at Windham Woods School, Bisnow, Aspen Institute Project Play
photos: Windham Woods School
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