Since 2000, when education reform in Serbia began education goals, teachers' training, curriculum and teaching/learning methods have been modernised and improved. However, a closer examination of the schools built from 2000 onwards reveals that architectural design of primary schools rests on standardised school design schemes from socialist Yugoslavian period, and it is not developed in synchrony with the latest education reform changes. This article presents the developments in the field of primary school design in Serbia from 2000 until today and explains their historical precedents. It also reviews contemporary international research that criticises standardised school designs due to the ever-progressing understanding of how pupils learn and develop. This article ends by proposing the necessary steps for developing a 21st-century school design strategy for Serbia, as well as what should such strategy entail.