MYRTLE BEACH — Crews will begin building two elementary schools in one of the fast-growing areas of the Grand Strand early next year, according to the latest projections from Horry County Schools.
The schools are planned for a 20-acre site along Carolina Forest Boulevard and a 35-acre site in the River Oaks Drive area, HCS Planning Coordinator Joe Burch said. Both schools will follow the same construction schedule, and each is designed to hold 1,200 students.
“We feel like we’re in really good shape,” Burch said.
The new schools are projected to cost $128 million, though officials said more accurate estimates will arrive in November or December. Plans are still being finalized for road improvements, equipment and a few other items.
District officials expect to receive updated renderings of the proposed buildings this week.
The new schools are designed to relieve congestion in the bustling Carolina Forest area, which sits between Conway and Myrtle Beach and is home to more than 38,000 people.
Nine schools serve Carolina Forest: five elementary, three middle and one high school. Seven of the nine Carolina Forest schools are over capacity, according to records from the county’s planning department.
Carolina Forest’s elementary schools are particularly overcrowded. Carolina Forest Elementary is at 126% capacity, Ocean Bay Elementary is at 132% and River Oaks Elementary is at 150%, according to county planning records.
In Horry County, 85% capacity is considered to be “efficient.” During the 2022-23 school year, at least 24 district schools exceeded that threshold, with 12 of them topping 100%.
Those 24 schools included all five schools in North Myrtle Beach, two schools in Aynor, seven schools in Carolina Forest, three schools in Conway, three schools in Myrtle Beach, two schools in Socastee and two St. James schools.
Since 2011, Horry County Schools has built nine schools at a cost of $297.2 million, with one currently under construction, budgeted for $58 million. Also, 11 schools have received additions or been renovated, at a total cost of $98.5 million.
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