North and South Meck high schools to get major upgrades
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South Mecklenburg High School's front lawn. Rendering: Morris Berg Architects/courtesy of CMS
Major changes are coming to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' North Mecklenburg High School and South Mecklenburg High School.
Why it matters: These multimillion-dollar projects will modernize campus facilities — from the classroom to the football field — at a time when Charlotte's population keeps growing.
The big picture: The projects are part of the 2023 $2.5 billion bond referendum, which encompasses several school construction projects. Many voters saw it as the most important issue on the ballot during that election, Axios' Alexandria Sands reported.
State of play: CMS is creating 100 classroom baseline high schools, a spokesperson tells Axios.
- "The goal is not to add students, but to address condition issues and bring these schools to current standards," according to the CMS spokesperson.
- Condition issues include aging infrastructure, multi-building campuses, HVAC systems that aren't drawing in fresh air, and a lack of gym space. At South Meck, this also includes having a six-lane track instead of an eight-lane one.
Zoom out: Each school will have a 2,500-student capacity. The current projects focus on new main academic buildings and a total revamp of the athletics facilities, including new fields and new gymnasiums.
- CMS recently opened Ballantyne Ridge High School to help alleviate overcrowding at Ardrey Kell High, South Mecklenburg High and Myers Park High.
- CMS will begin the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 25 with more than 141,000 students and more than 19,000 staff members.
By the numbers: The budget for the North Mecklenburg High project is $228.5 million, and $127.9 million for South Mecklenburg High.
What's next: North Mecklenburg High's new athletic facilities are expected to be ready for the 2026-27 school year, followed by their new single academic building for the 2027-28 school year. The overall campus should be complete by 2028-29.
- South Mecklenburg High's new main building is expected to be complete by the 2027-28 school year, with the overall campus complete by 2028-29.
- A project update meeting for the public will take place during phase 1 (September-November of this year).
Take a look at the renderings:
North Mecklenburg High renderings
South Mecklenburg High renderings
