- 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…