CHARLOTTE — Several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools construction projects are expected to wrap up in August, just in time for the new school year.
In 2023, voters in Mecklenburg County passed a $2.5 billion bond referendum to fund 30 construction projects across the district. This funding, the largest school bond ever requested in North Carolina, achieved 63% support in a low-turnout election. It’s supported by an incremental property tax increase that began in 2025.
Our partners at The Charlotte Observer report the first project, converting the former Sedgefield Elementary into a Montessori program, wrapped up in August. Five other projects will finish later this year.
Work is underway to convert the former First Ward Elementary into a full-magnet arts middle school — First Ward Creative Arts. The Observer reports construction is about 50% complete.
After renovations, Northwest School of the Arts, which currently serves grades 6-12, will reopen as a high school arts magnet. The combined budget for these two projects totals about $93.6 million.
In West Charlotte, Marie G. Davis, currently a K-8 grade International Baccalaureate school, will turn into a Montessori program, serving grades 7-12.
A new elementary school on Park Road is set to replace Dilworth Elementary. Bidding and construction began in November. So far, builders have completed the school’s exterior structure.
In south Charlotte, construction is halfway complete on a new middle school. It’s the first of three new middle schools planned for the area in an effort to relieve overcrowding at Community House, Jay M. Robinson and Rea Farms STEAM middle schools.
The district has slated four other renovation projects for 2027 and six to be completed in 2028.
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