Louisa County schools plan elementary expansion as middle school addition nears completion

Louisa County school officials told the Planning Commission at a Jan. 2025 work session that they have placed an elementary school expansion in the county capital improvement plan for 2030, citing rising enrollment, while construction on the middle school addition is roughly 40% complete and the county’s career and technical education (CTE) center is moving through final design steps.

Miss Colvin, speaking for Louisa County Public Schools, said the district currently educates about 2,496 elementary students and estimates districtwide elementary capacity at 2,825 — leaving roughly 340 seats before reaching capacity. Colvin told commissioners that the county saw a net increase of 174 elementary students between 2019 and 2025 and that 128 of those new students arrived in the past two years alone. “We’ve put a placeholder in March 2030 for expansion for our elementary school students,” she said.

The enrollment figures were presented as context for the district’s CIP request. David Childress, a project lead on the middle school addition, told the commission the building is “about 40 percent complete,” with work up to the second floor and a target to have the roof in place in April. Childress said the project is expected to reach substantial completion in late fall or early winter, with occupancy and moving taking place in November or December 2025.

Todd Guido, who said he is part of the schools’ construction team, said the CTE center has completed its second site-plan submission and 65% architectural review; he said staff plans a 95% submission next and expects to put the project to bid in March, with ground-breaking “sometime around March” if reviews proceed on schedule.

School staff and commissioners discussed capacity distribution across schools. Colvin said the majority of the remaining elementary capacity is at Jewett Elementary, following a previous addition. Commissioners asked whether recent enrollment increases were concentrated at the elementary level; Colvin confirmed the 128 new students she cited were elementary students.

The presentation was informational and did not include a vote. School staff asked commissioners to note the CIP placeholders and said they would return with additional detail when the district refines timing and fiscal requests.

Commissioners and school staff indicated they will track growth closely and coordinate CIP timing with development and with other county capital requests.