With just over six months remaining until the first day of classes, the campus of the new, $165 million South Marion High School is rapidly taking shape in southwest Ocala.
Located at 1350 SW 165th Street, recent photos from the site show substantial vertical progress on the buildings that will soon welcome more than 2,000 students.
The new facility represents a significant milestone for Marion County, marking the first new high school built in the district since 2003.
Construction of the new school is being managed by Wharton-Smith, Inc., who won the contract for the facility in August 2024.
The firm began clearing and grading the land later that year following a groundbreaking ceremony held by district officials in December 2024. Principal construction on the structures commenced in April 2025.
The massive project sits on a 115-acre site just south of the Summer Glen golf course and west of Interstate 75. It is around 21 miles east of Dunnellon High, 17 miles south of West Port High School, and about 12 miles west of Belleview High School.
When it opens its doors this summer, the 363,000-square-foot campus will feature a three-story main building flanked by two classroom wings.
The facility will house 61 classrooms and 20 labs designed to accommodate an initial capacity of 2,011 students. Future build-out options could eventually increase that capacity to 2,711 students to meet the needs of the growing population in the Marion Oaks area.
The SMHS campus will also feature extensive athletic and arts amenities, including a 2,000-seat stadium for football and track, a 1,332-seat gymnasium, and an 800-seat performing arts auditorium. A cafeteria with outdoor seating will accommodate nearly 900 students at a time.
Beyond standard academics, the school will also offer specialized career and technical education programs.
The institution recently secured approximately $260,000 in state funding to support a curriculum focused on Artificial Intelligence. Additional planned programs include avionics, digital cinema production, entrepreneurship, and agribusiness, among others.
The project was funded through borrowed funds and local millage proceeds. It follows the opening of two new elementary schools in southwest Ocala, which began classes at the start of the current school year in August 2025.
Construction is currently on track for the school’s scheduled opening in August 2026.
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