A new K-8 school combining three existing St. Lucie County campuses is set to open in August 2028, bringing together students from Longwood Elementary, St. Lucie Elementary, and Dan McCarty Middle School under one roof.
Lydia Martin with St. Lucie Public Schools said the new comprehensive school will offer a broad range of academic and career and technical education (CTE) programs, including accelerated math coursework starting as early as elementary school.
"This school will offer a wide range of academic and CTE course offerings, including our AMP advanced placement math courses starting in elementary school," Martin said.
Middle school students will also have access to high school-level courses such as algebra and geometry — a model already in place at the district's other K-8 schools, Martin said. Specific CTE offerings for middle schoolers are still being finalized as the opening date approaches.
Parents can expect classrooms outfitted with technology similar to what's already in place at the district's newer schools, according to Martin.
That includes audio enhancement systems that let teachers wear microphones so every student can hear clearly, ceiling-mounted projectors, and laptops for students, in addition to any specialized equipment tied to the school's CTE programs.
"They'll have projectors, ceiling-mounted projectors, laptop computers, laptop carts, and then of course, any specialized technology depending on the CTE programs that are offered," Martin said.
For Martin, merging three schools with their own histories into a single new campus is also about preserving what made each community special.
"It's an opportunity to really honor the past and make sure that we're sensitive to the community and the history of those sites, and being able to bring those all together into a new school offering," she said. "A place where all students are welcome, where everybody knows them by name, and where our students and staff can thrive."
Whether a child will start at the new school as a kindergartner or an eighth grader when it opens, Martin said the goal remains the same: a school built around belonging.
The new school is scheduled to open for the 2028-2029 school year in August 2028.