Beaufort Co. School District breaks ground on new elementary school, looks to combat overcrowding

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Beaufort County is one step closer to getting a new elementary school.

District officials broke ground on the new school on Monday afternoon.

May River Elementary will sit near May River High School in the New Riverside area of Bluffton.

Officials hope that it will serve as a place not only to welcome 800 students, but a way to combat growth and capacity challenges the district has been facing over the last few years.

“We are just excited about it and we know that this will create a great learning environment for students,” Beaufort County Superintendent, Dr. Frank Rodriguez said.

The school is being funded by a bond referendum passed in November 2023 by Beaufort County voters and district officials hope it combats overcrowding issues they have seen at nearby schools.

“Pritchardville for example right now is at 141% capacity,” Chief Operations Officer for the Beaufort County School District, Robert Oetting said.

Currently at Pritchardville, Oetting says that they are using 18 mobile classrooms to make sure each class has a place to meet.

And at nearby Okatie Elementary, it is nearing 100% capacity.

“Even when you say 100% capacity that is never good because it’s mean there is no room for growth and every class is jammed,” Oetting said.

Oetting says the goal with May River Elementary and two other schools that are planned to be built across the district is to bring the capacity down to about 85% across the county.

“That gives you room to do special things and gives you room to move around,” Oetting said.

May River Elementary is expected to open at the start of the 2027-2028 school year.

Currently, the school district is hosting public meetings for parents to come and talk about potential cahnges to student assignment in Bluffton-area schools when May River Elementary opens.

They have already had three meetings, and their next meeting will be on Thursday at Okatie Elementary at 6 p.m.

The other two meetings will be:

The district says the meetings are a preliminary step to garner feedback before any decisions are made.

The sessions are part of BCSD’s planning process for the opening of May River Elementary School in the 2027–2028 school year and to address enrollment and capacity challenges at Bluffton Schools while also preparing for future growth.

Officials hope to have a good idea of what students will be sent to each school by October 2026.