IRMO, S.C. — Work is officially underway on a replacement home for Dutch Fork Elementary, after Lexington-Richland School District Five held a groundbreaking Friday in Irmo for the school, which will reopen as an environmental sciences academy.
District leaders, board members and parents gathered for the ceremony at Hope Lutheran Church, which sits beside the site. The new building is going up at 1709 Hollingshed Road and is being paid for through the bond package voters approved in 2024.
District officials said the move solves two problems at once. Students and teachers now use the oldest school building the district still runs every day, and the widening of Broad River Road is closing in on the current campus.
Superintendent Akil E. Ross Sr. called the project a long-term investment and described Dutch Fork Elementary as a true community school.
The old campus at 7900 Broad River Road will not sit empty. Once students move, it will be turned into the Richlex Education Center, a hub for district programs. Those include the Academy For Success, Adult Education classes and the FIVE virtual learning program.
The district, headquartered in Irmo, also serves Chapin and Ballentine families.
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