The Cesar Chavez Education Center represents more than a new school in an overcrowded school district. The design is a model CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) school. Acoustically, the facility faced steep challenges, with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) tracks less than 400 feet from the nearest classroom on one side and the very busy International Boulevard flanking the school on the other side. To reduce sound from outside sources, additional layers of gypsum board on the walls and ceiling provided a higher level of noise attenuation.