Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

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

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/23/21

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

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.