Funding for new 900-student Ladson Elementary School approved by committee

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District is one step closer to getting a new elementary school in Ladson.

The Charleston County School District’s Audit and Finance Committee approved funding for a new Ladson Elementary School Tuesday afternoon. The Charleston County Board of Trustees will have a final vote on the building next week.

The project is just now in the beginning stages, but the new Ladson Elementary School will cost over $47 million for materials and labor to build the school that will hold 900 students.

Ladson Elementary School is currently located at 3321 Ladson Rd., with the current building being completed back in 1976.

“I think the biggest thing is always to make sure they’ve got enough bids to find the best price,” parent Joy Brown says. “It is a huge ticket item, but it’s expensive to build a school.”

The existing Ladson Elementary School has seen steady growth over the last four years according to data from the South Carolina Department of Education 45-day school headcount numbers.

This year the school has 893 students compared to 843 students back in 2020.

Going even further back to 2012, Ladson Elementary had 801 students.

As the Charleston County School District continues to grow with more people moving to the area, Brown says it’s important for the district to spend money in the right places.

“I think for me as a parent, I feel like it’s important to have the right amount of schools,” Brown says. “School size matters, class size matters. You can’t have tons of kids packed into one school; Charleston’s a high growth area.”

The committee also approved over $66 million for 12 projects throughout the district ranging from renovations, replacements, and new buildings. Some projects of note include:

• $781,542 for Military Magnet Academy athletic building
• $7,794,055 for Deer Park Middle School new cafeteria building and renovations that support fine arts
• $660,665 for St. Johns High School Press Box in Stadium

“I think it’s important for people to realize this money has been allocated specifically for schools,” Brown says. “We just want to make sure that it is efficiently used when you’re looking at growth.”