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Suffolk to open Booker T. Washington STEM Academy in August 2025 after Old Dominion lab‑school approval
Summary
Board received a planning‑year update on the new Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, a lab‑school partnership with Old Dominion University that will open in fall 2025 as an elementary lab school — the state’s first approved elementary lab school — with 120 seats (20 per grade, K–5) and STEM‑focused curriculum aligned to Project Lead The Way.
At its April 10 meeting, the Suffolk City School Board received a planning update on the STEM Academy to be housed at Booker T. Washington Elementary School and presented in partnership with Old Dominion University.
Dr. Akima Branch, chief academic officer, told the board the division’s lab‑school proposal was approved by the Virginia Board of Education and that Booker T. Washington will host a school‑within‑a‑school focused on STEM integration. “We will be serving 20 students in grade levels K through 5 — 20 students per grade level for a total of 120 students,” Branch said, and she described the current year as a planning year with an August 2025 launch.
Why it matters
The Booker T. Washington STEM Academy is the only elementary lab school approved so far in Virginia. The district says it aims to create a pipeline into existing Project Lead The Way (PLTW) programs at higher grade…
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