The School District of Manatee County school board members are pondering whether to build a new high school in Lakewood Ranch to keep up with population growth in East County.
High school capacities are measured by the Florida Inventory of School Houses, a data numbering system used by the Florida Department of Education, and Lakewood Ranch High School is over capacity at 105 percent. The district is in the process of rezoning, but even with rezoning, the population spike is expected to create capacity problems.
Interim superintendent Kevin Chapman said this month will be key to finalizing a construction contract for a potential eighth high school in the district, which is being called High School AAA for the time being. If the board decides to move forward with it, High School AAA would be located on a 100-acre lot on Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard, near Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch. It could be open as soon as 2007…