Elevate Ed presents school plan for Wellington site: $350 million budget, 1,700 students, opening targeted for Aug. 2028

Elevate Ed presented a detailed update on plans for a private school on the Cape Park site during the Wellington Village Council workshop on May 19, reiterating a $350 million build budget, a planned enrollment of about 1,700 students and a phased opening that would begin in August 2028.

At the podium, Mary Anne, an Elevate Ed representative, said, “we're still at the $350,000,000 commitment to this school. We're still at the student population of 1,700,” and described a two-phase construction and enrollment ramp: opening pre-K through grade 8 in 2028 and adding upper grades in following years with a completion/expansion phase around 2031.

Why it matters: The proposal would create a full, private pre-K–12 campus with athletics, theater and world-facing academic programming in Wellington. The school’s size and programming could shift local student demand and affect local traffic, parking and sports-field usage.

Facility and program highlights presented - Building program: Elevate Ed said the school program totals about 307,000 square feet in the current schematic; the team said it reduced an earlier 350,000-square-foot concept to meet budget targets and program needs. - Phasing: Phase 1 targets a school opening for pre-K through grade 8 in August 2028; grades 9–12 would be phased in thereafter (Mary Anne described adding one grade per year after the opening and building additional athletic facilities in the second phase around 2031). - Capacity and enrollment: Elevate Ed reiterated an enrollment target of roughly 1,700 students and said the plan is to ramp enrollment from pre-K upward so ninth grade is added in a later year; the team said they expect to open with a substantial initial cohort and retain flexibility with “core shell” space that can be finished as enrollment grows. - Athletics and safety: The plan includes multiple sports fields, tennis courts, an aquatics/athletics center and a theater sited on the water. Mary Anne said school design will pair architecture, technology and operational measures for perimeter security; she described using the adjacent reservoir as part of a security perimeter and said fencing and controlled access points would limit public access to the campus. - Student supports and programming: Elevate Ed emphasized global-exchange opportunities, project-based learning and student well-being services, and said the school will include a college-and-career center, health center and social-emotional programming integrated into transportation and campus operations.

Budget and construction schedule Mary Anne said the build cost target remains $350 million and that the design team has reduced gross square footage to align with that budget. Elevate Ed said early site and horizontal work is scheduled within the developers’ timeline, with foundations for the school targeted earlier than some Related components so the school can meet its August 2028 opening window.

Security, transportation and operations The school team said they will provide a dedicated bus fleet with monitors and age-appropriate on-board services and will design separate parent and bus drop-off loops. Mary Anne said the campus will be gated with layered security systems and that the project team intends to minimize visible security impacts for students by embedding security in design and operations.

Questions from council and clarifications Council members asked how the school would handle year-round or “shoulder” families (for example, equestrian athletes who live in Wellington part of the year). Mary Anne said the school’s global program and flexible enrollment would give families optional exchange or boarding-term opportunities, and that there will be on-site medical and mental-health supports during the academic year.

What remains open Elevate Ed said architects and operators are still finalizing some program areas—sports layout, parking strategies and the precise fit-out timing for “core-shell” spaces. The team reported active fundraising and said they were confident they can meet the financing schedule tied to the developers’ closing and siting timeline.

Next steps Elevate Ed said it will continue schematic design with Perkins and Will and coordinate permitting and approvals with Related, the village and Rene Ross on permitting. Council members asked for continued updates and for follow-up materials showing prototype renderings and more detailed phasing diagrams before the next meeting.