Pretty soon, the walls will close in as the future Alva high school rises in anticipation of an August 2027 opening.
The Lee district bought the property at 21700 Tuckahoe Road, near Joel Boulevard, in 2007. The school will house up to 2,000 students from the surrounding areas, including Alva and Lehigh Acres.
The district said students will have advanced learning opportunities, with a focus on agriculture and career academies, as well as a variety of athletics and clubs for students to get involved in. Alva High School will also feature an Early Childhood Academy, providing daycare to School District employees with young children.
The construction cost is estimated at $162 million.
The district points to approved development in Alva that will bring more students into what is now a rural area. Lee County commissioners recently gave Neal Homes the zoning it needs to build 1,100 homes on 800 acres, and Babcock Ranch has permission to build more than 2,000 homes on the 4,000 acres it owns just across the Caloosahatchee River.
The school also will serve as a hurricane shelter.
Lee County Watchdog Reporter Charlie Whitehead contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: New Alva high school going up as construction in full swing
Reporting by Andrew West, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andrew West, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
