Marine Science Charter Adding Middle School Capacity at Its Key Largo Location

A charter school in Florida is seeing the sun rise on a new middle school. The middle school at Ocean Studies Charter in Key Largo is expected to finished by Thanksgiving, allowing the free public charter to enable its existing K–5 students to continue their education at the same facility.

While the school covers the basics—English language arts, math, geography, science and PE—students also study marine science. Each week, they take a field trip to connect their lessons to real-life experiences. Ocean Studies employs a full marine science teacher who works with small groups on projects.

Ocean Studies Charter Middle School

According to local reporting, the addition of a two-story wing facility will include four new classrooms with a courtyard and seating in the middle, where students can eat and learn "in the open air." During the first year, the school will welcome its first crop of sixth-graders, adding grade 7 and 8 students in 2022-2023.

On the curriculum front, the charter will allow its middle schoolers to expand their understanding of the environment of the Florida Keys and "start to compare it on a national and global level."

Once the construction project is done, the school will start work on an outdoor science lab and play area.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • abstract representation of hybrid learning environment

    The Permanence of Change: Why Hybrid Is the New Baseline

    Hybrid learning is here to stay, and it's reshaping how campus spaces function.

Digital Edition