PENDER COUNTY — J.H. Lea Elementary and Middle School in Pender County could be ready a month ahead of schedule, providing relief to overcrowded schools as the district prepares for significant student enrollment growth.
While giving the media a tour of the facility on Thursday, Pender County Schools Superintendent Brad Breedlove said the construction is slated to finish by late spring 2027, if all continues ahead of schedule. It will open to students for the August 2027 school year.
“The amazing amount of work is just mind-blowing that went into this building,” he said.
READ MORE: Topsail Middle School renovations exceed original estimates by nearly 70%
Recently, construction crews hit a milestone of 500,000 work hours on the project, which began in August 2024.
Thursday, Breedlove said the project costs “right around” $140 million — $111.5 million is covered from the bond referendum passed by voters in 2022. In July of last year the total project cost was estimated at $142.2 million.
“We are under budget,” Breedlove said in terms of construction costs. “That’s something that also needs to be celebrated as well.”
A representative for the district did not respond by press how much less construction costs are than originally budgeted for or where funds outside of the bond would come from.
J.H. Lea will be 285,000 square-feet and is one of the biggest construction projects the district has executed. The school will feature lit athletic fields, two gyms with maple hardwood flooring, two media centers with cushioned reading nooks, and outdoor courtyards for teachers to hold lessons for students.
“We all like to have smaller environments where our students have plenty of space, our teachers have plenty of space,” Breedlove said.
The campus will house approximately 2,300 pupils— 750 elementary and 1,562 middle-schoolers.
“I want them [the public] to see that some overcrowding relief is on the way,” Pender County Board of Education Chair Don Hall told Port City Daily when discussing the new building.
Of the district’s nine elementary schools, four are at at least 100% capacity — North Topsail, Topsail Annandale, South Topsail and Surf City. Additionally, two of the district’s five middle schools are at at least 100% capacity — Topsail and Surf City middle.
“Opening up J.H. Lea is going to reduce that stress and that strain on each one of those buildings,” Breedlove said.
Pender County Schools are currently reviewing district boundaries ahead of J.H. Lea’s opening — overcrowding and future enrollment growth will all be taken into consideration before lines are drawn. A presentation on redistricting recommendations will be given to the board of education in January.
While no lines for redistricting have been drawn yet, a committee is meeting Thursday evening to assess possibilities.
“Building J.H Lea will significantly reduce the amount of students on the east side — Highway 17 schools, kindergarten, through eighth grade,” Breedlove said. “The Topsail Middle School project will house an additional 600 high-school students because that’s going to be remodeled to a high school. So that’s going to relieve a lot of the pressure at the high-school level.”
On top of overcapacity, Breedlove said the district expects a population boom of 3,000 to 5,000 students countywide within the next 10 to 12 years. He noted the focus remains on finishing J.H. Lea and the Topsail Middle School renovation, before they deal with capacity in the western part of the district.
Elementary schools are expected to see the most growth over 10 years, with an increase of approximately 2,682 students. Pender County middle schools are projected to see a 10-year growth of 1,732 students while high schools will increase by approximately 2,052 students.
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