New Construction

Ryan Companies Announces Slate of Charter School Projects Across Southeastern U.S.

• By Matt Jones
• 08/16/23

Commercial real estate solutions provider Ryan Companies U.S., Inc., recently announced that it has completed four charter schools in the southeastern United States in time for the 2023–24 academic year. The schools add up to a total of 203,000 square feet of new construction and represent a national trend of school districts updating and expanding their charter school options, according to a news release. The firm also has plans to launch five more similar projects within the next few weeks that will total an additional 250,000 square feet.

“Our track record of success and our unique ability as a firm to provide start-to-finish guidance on development has established Ryan as a trusted partner among charter school operators,” said Ryan Companies’ Vice President of Real Estate Development, Max Bosso. “With K–12 decision makers having to navigate unfamiliar challenges, such as material delays and lender constraints, we’ve made it our mission to help them approach these issues in a way that keeps progress flowing and maintains on-time and within-budget delivery. We are proud to build the classrooms of tomorrow, which play an integral role in promoting stability and prosperity for the surrounding communities in each of these school districts.”

The press release reports that the four completed projects include the expansion of Innovation Prep Middle School in Wesley Chapel, Fla.; the expansion of Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy in Youngsville, La., a newly built Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.; and a newly built College Preparatory Academy at Wellen Park in North Port, Fla.

The facilities include various amenities like community classrooms and collaborative work spaces, breakout rooms, gymnasiums and athletic fields, science labs and art rooms, music and performing arts spaces, and multi-purpose rooms.

The five projects set to begin this year include the expansion of Nashville Collegiate Prep Middle School in Antioch, Tenn.; the expansion of the Acadiana Sports Complex in Youngsville, La.; expansion of the Winthrop Charter School and Early Learning Center in Riverview, Fla.; the expansion of Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy High School in Youngsville, La.; and a newly built Rutherford Collegiate Prep in Gibson County, Tenn.

“Many of these charter schools have long wait lists, so they’re looking to grow their footprints to serve more students,” said Bosso. “From turning one-story schools into two-story schools to incorporating more adaptable spaces to accommodate future needs, we are engaged in all kinds of projects to improve capacity—and quickly. We have never delivered a school project late, which has enhanced our reputation in the regions we operate and enabled our activity in the sector to flourish.”