Eastgate Elementary students and staff started their first day of school last week in a new facility – one that’s greener than the last thanks to a geothermal heating system that controls temperatures.

The heating system is expected to save the school around 40 percent on energy bills, according to the school district.

The new two-story school is 64,000 square feet, which is 24,000 square feet larger than the previous one. It includes 24 classrooms designed to maximize natural lighting.

Other changes include a full-size gym that doubles as a lunch room and performance area, an updated security system, environmentally-friendly synthetic turf under the play structures of the early child care center, and a cleaning of the 1950s-era tile mural outside the gym.

The new security system will lock all doors except the main entrance after school starts, while electronic key passes monitor staff who use the building during off hours and weekends.

The Eastgate rebuild cost the school district $24 million as part of a $324 bond issue approved by voters in 2002.