Santa Rosa Breaks Ground On New K-8 School At Wallace Lake, Chumuckla Highway

October 12, 2021

The Santa Rosa County School District officially broke ground Monday for a new K-8 School in Pace.

The new school on Wallace Lake Road at Chumuckla Highway is expected be complete and open in late 2023. It is about six miles from the Escambia County line.

“We are delighted to begin construction on a new school in the Pace community serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade,” said Dr. Karen Barber, superintendent for Santa Rosa County District Schools. “This will be our second K-8 and its modern layout and thoughtful design will provide new opportunities and innovative strategies to our children.”

“Currently the schools in Pace, which include S.S. Dixon Primary, S. S. Dixon Intermediate and Sims Middle, are at or above capacity,” said Joey Harrell, assistant superintendent for administrative services. “The Wallace Lake K-8 is in the ideal location to help alleviate this issue as well as accommodate future growth.”

  • Located on a 33-acre site, the two-story school will include 25 primary classrooms, 20 intermediate classrooms and a covered physical education building.
  • At capacity, the school will serve 1182 students.
  • Construction costs of approximately $39.4 million are funded by about $26.4 million in local option sales tax revenue, $15 million om certificates of participation funding and $450,000 from millage (property tax).

Photos/image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

3 Responses to “Santa Rosa Breaks Ground On New K-8 School At Wallace Lake, Chumuckla Highway”

  1. Jim Hopper on October 12th, 2021 6:02 pm

    I hope intersection improvements including a traffic light are included otherwise it’s gonna be a bloodbath.

  2. Elijah Bell on October 12th, 2021 6:31 am

    To be clear I believe any school district should provide the best school facilities and teachers that can be provided. The citizens deserve the best use of their tax dollars. First the picture in the above article is an insult to reality. The hard hats and shovels in the hands of folks who are there for a photo op. All the while knowing they paid a premium for the property after being snookered by a developer earlier in the deal. If they are willing to do this what is above them when it comes to your kids education.

  3. James on October 12th, 2021 4:05 am

    Hopefully they have planned for a more efficient and safer student pickup/dropoff than most of the county’s schools are utilizing. Otherwise, expect to see several roadside crosses at this intersection, next to the one that occurred just a few short weeks ago.