- St. Lucie County broke ground on a new $70 million K-8 school in Fort Pierce on July 28, 2026.
- The facility will consolidate Dan McCarty Middle, St. Lucie Elementary, and Lawnwood Elementary into one campus.
- The new school is expected to open in August 2028 and serve between 1,500 and 1,800 students.
A groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Pierce officially launched construction on a new $70 million K-8 school that will replace three aging St. Lucie County campuses. The facility will bring together students from Dan McCarty Middle School, St. Lucie Elementary, and Lawnwood Elementary under one roof.
Three Aging Schools Give Way to a Modern Campus
The new school will be built on land behind Dan McCarty Middle School in the northern part of St. Lucie County. It is designed to hold between 1,500 and 1,800 students and will feature state-of-the-art technology throughout the building.
St. Lucie Public Schools Superintendent Jon Prince said the project remains on track. “On time, on budget, on schedule,” Prince said.
All three existing schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Prince noted that the buildings have been updated over the years but still fall short of modern standards. “These schools were built in the 50s and 60s, and you know, a lot of these schools have been retrofitted, but they’re still not quite as efficient as they can be,” Prince said.
Dan McCarty Middle School Principal Latricia Stubbs-James said the wear inside the building is visible. “Some of the things that we have in there are antiquated,” Stubbs-James said. She added that students in the northern part of the county deserve the same investment seen elsewhere in the district.
K-8 Model Shows a Proven Track Record in the District
The St. Lucie Public Schools district already operates 11 other K-8 schools. Superintendent Prince said the data supports expanding the model. “Attendance is better, test scores are better and also grades are better in the K-8s,” Prince said.
Principal Stubbs-James said the format also benefits younger students by giving them visible examples of academic growth. “Kindergarten students can see what it looks like to be an eighth grader at a new K-8. What does it look like to be a fifth grader?” Stubbs-James said.
The district plans to help fund the $70 million project by selling the properties where the three older schools now stand. That approach offsets ongoing maintenance costs for the aging buildings.
What the New School Means for North Fort Pierce Families
The new campus will serve families in the northern part of St. Lucie County, an area Prince said will embrace the new school. “It’s going to be very popular in the community. That’s for sure,” Prince said.
Construction is underway and the school is expected to be completed by August 2028. No timeline has been announced for closing the three existing campuses ahead of that opening date.
