Marion County Public Schools will break ground at the site of a new, $150 million high school in southwest Ocala next month.
School officials will host a groundbreaking ceremony for New High School “CCC” on Monday, December 16 at 10 a.m.
The new public high school, which is the first built in the county since 2003, will be located on a 115-acre site at 1350 SW 165th Street in Ocala.
New High School CCC is strategically located to front Marion Oaks Manor and will accommodate a “growing student population in southwest Marion County,” according to the school district. It will be approximately 21 miles east of Dunnellon High, around 17 miles south of West Port High School, and about 12 miles west of Belleview High School.
The high school will feature three building complexes, including an administrative facility with an office area and media center. The buildings will house approximately 61 classrooms and 20 labs.
The new school will also feature a 2,000-seat athletic stadium for football, several playing fields for other sports, a 1,332-seat gymnasium, an 858-seat cafeteria, an 800-seat performing arts auditorium, and 867 parking spaces.
According to a statement provided by the school district, construction of the school is anticipated to cost around $154,000,000.
School officials say that when New High School CCC opens in August 2026, it will have capacity for up to 2,011 students. Following the completion of a third floor, that capacity will increase to approximately 2,711 students.
In August, Wharton-Smith, Inc., which was contracted by the Marion County School Board to manage the project, issued an invitation to subcontractors to bid on various portions of the multi-million dollar project.
According to Wharton-Smith, Inc., clearing, mass grading, and early procurement of equipment were all scheduled to tentatively begin this month.
The main bid package, which will include the remaining site work and buildings, is tentatively scheduled to bid in late January 2025.
The Marion County School Board borrowed funds to build the school, as well as two new elementary schools that are currently under construction in southwest Ocala. Both of those schools are scheduled to open when the 2025 school year begins next August.
Construction of the high school is projected to begin in April 2025 and should be complete by July 2026.
