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New high school coming to Manatee County
The Manatee County School District broke ground on the eighth high school in the Lakewood Ranch area. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - The Manatee County School District broke ground on the eighth high school in the Lakewood Ranch area.
Right now it's an empty field, but the School District of Manatee County said it's a field of dreams.
District officials said it is being built at a time when other neighboring high schools are feeling the squeeze.
The piece of land across from Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch will soon welcome the future home of the graduating class of 2031.
What they're saying:
"It was the community that reached out to every one of us to say, ‘Yes, we want this campus and all the facilities that it offered for our students.’ For me, I was glad to bring this project forward," said school board member Cindy Spray.
With a scoop of a few shovels on Wednesday morning, ground is broken on the farthest East high school for the School District of Manatee County.
"Considering that many counties and school districts around Florida are closing schools, here in Manatee County, we are building as fast as we can," said Kevin Chapman, the associate superintendent for the school district.
The area across from Premier Sports Campus is bustling with new developments and new families coming to Manatee County.
"The collaboration goes hand in hand, as they keep approving homes, we have to keep up and keep building schools to keep up with that growth. When you see 10-20-30,000 more homes will be built here in the next few years we have to keep up in building new schools," said Chapman.
READ: 'Connected Manatee' pilot program to help connect struggling families with resources at school
Why you should care:
The $144 million high school is being paid for by capital funds and will be a modified design of Parrish Community High School. 9th and 10th graders will be welcomed in August 2027 with additional grade levels added in the following years.
Eventually, 2,500 high school students will learn here.
It'll also help ease numbers at Braden River High School, Lakewood Ranch High School and Parrish Community High Schools.
"We have some high schools that are packed with students, and we celebrate and welcome the growth, but we do need more places for the students to grow into," said Superintendent Dr. Laurie Breslin.
Dr. Breslin said it's a welcome addition that'll bring the best to students and their families.
"It’s the growth of a new school, it’s welcoming the new buildings, but overall, what it means is the growth of opportunities for students," said Dr. Breslin.
What's next:
The high school is scheduled to open in August 2027.
Soon a timeline will be put out for community members to nominate and submit their name suggestions for the new school.
The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon through the School District of Manatee County.