The Lee County (Florida) district has broken ground in Cape Coral on a K-8 school that will replace an elementary campus destroyed in 2022 by Hurricane Ian.
The Fort Myers News-Press reports that the new Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K-8 School will transform the old Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary into a K-8 school. The new campus will double the old school’s capacity, expanding from 868 students to 1,820.
The $125 million construction project will help meet the growing demand for elementary and middle school seats in western Cape Coral.
The original Cafferata Elementary opened in 2006 and served the Cape Coral community until Sept. 28, 2022, when Hurricane Ian tore through Southwest Florida. The storm ripped off the school's roof, flooded classrooms and left the structure unsalvageable.
Since then, students and staff have been learning in a temporary setup at Cape Coral Technical College. That will remain their home until construction of the new school is completed.
The Lee County School Board considered closing the school entirely or rebuilding elsewhere. In the end, it voted in 2023 to construct a new, expanded K-8 school on nearby district-owned land. Demolition of the original campus is complete.
Construction will continue over the next year with the goal of opening in time for the 2026–27 academic year.
