The Hendry County (Florida) District has broken ground on a new LaBelle High School in LaBelle.
Lake Okeechobee News reports that the high school population of 1,448 students has far exceeded the 1,000-student capacity the existing high school was designed to accommodate when it was built in 1979.
The new campus will feature tennis courts, volleyball courts, baseball and softball fields, and a football field. The school will be two stories and have a 400-plus seat auditorium. The drama, band, and art rooms will be situated near the auditorium.
To accommodate the increased enrollment at the existing school, the district had installed 33 portable classrooms.
District leaders looked at expanding the high school building, but with growth expected to continue, providing sufficient space in the cafeteria, auditorium, and physical education and athletic facilities would continue to be a problem.
The $123 million, 220,000-square-foot campus has been designed for about 1,500 students, Gulfshore Business reports.
Construction is projected to be completed in December 2027.
