Greenville, S.C., Sees Construction of New Elementary School

Local news reports that construction has begun on a new elementary school in Greenville, S.C. The facility will measure in at 110,000 square feet and will stand on the former site of J.L. Mann High Academy. The project will cost an estimated $56.7 million, of which $4.9 million was approved at a Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 27.

The school is scheduled to open in time for the 2025–26 school year and will have a capacity of 750 students in grades PreK–5. The facility will offer an academic focus on environmental science—featuring a greenhouse and science labs—and the site also includes room for future expansion, local news reports.

Construction began in fall 2023, and the school has yet to be named. Community stakeholders and the general public will submit suggestions to an ad hoc committee of trustee members, and the Board will vote on a name for the school in May 2024.

“The intent of the school is to provide relief because of the growth that I think everybody who lives in Greenville County is aware is in the progress of coming–it’s going to continue,” said Scott Carlin, Executive Director of Facilities for Greenville County Schools in an April 2022 news story. “Fortunately for Greenville County, we’ve got a pretty aggressive planning program to make sure that as we study growth, and what’s going on in the area, we try to get ahead. Not too far ahead, but slightly ahead of where the growth is coming to make sure we provide that capacity, and we don’t get into a situation to where other school districts have gotten into from time to time.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • 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.