The Monroe (Ohio) school district has broken ground on the first new high school in Butler County in 16 years.
The Journal-News reports that the ceremony marked the first construction phase for the $62 million project.
Monroe school officials also hope it is the beginning of a lasting solution to classroom crowding that has plagued the school system in the last decade.
The new high school, which will house grades 9 to12, is expected to be ready by August 2028.
The district’s aging primary school, which was opened in the 1950s, will eventually be closed when the new high school opens. Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade students will move into some of the old high school space.
Monroe Schools have more than doubled enrollment to 2,850 students since the school building for grades 2 to 12 was opened in 2004.
In January, the district unveiled a $2.5 million gym-to-classrooms conversion to help ease some of the crowding in the 2-12 grade school.
The new high school will be about 200 yards from the southern section of the 2-12 school.
The new high school will consist of a mostly a two-story building with a total projected square footage being between 135,000 to 140,000.
