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Washington Elementary School is one step closer to becoming a reality for city students in Pre-K through third grade. 

Beaufort County Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 135,000 sq. ft. school on Monday, Dec. 2 at Eastern Elementary School. 

“Today we’re not just breaking ground on a building. We’re actually breaking ground on the future,” Superintendent Dr. Matthew Cheeseman said. “A future filled with learning, growth and endless possibilities for our children and our community.” 

Washington Elementary School will combine Eastern Elementary and John Cotten Tayloe Elementary on one, modern campus. Both campuses were constructed in the 1960s. Eastern, however, will be demolished to make room for the new school which will serve approximately 900 students. 

In February, Beaufort County Schools received a $42 million grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Need-based Public School Capital Fund. The grant requires a $10 million local match which Beaufort County Commissioners voted in favor of (5-2) that same month. Commissioners were able to use $10 million from the county’s fund balance which means they did not have to raise taxes or try to pass a bond referendum. 

Both County Commissioner Frankie Waters and Dr. Cheeseman said Washington Elementary School is as much an investment in education as economic development. The hope is that families with young children will see the construction of an elementary school as a sign that improving infrastructure is a priority to the county government and school system. 

“I think anytime that people who are looking to relocate, coming into an area, they want to see what your public school structure looks like, sounds like, feels like. I think as Commissioner Waters said, today, this is really part of that economic development. When people see that you’re buying into the public school system, you’re creating spaces for young people – it can be very attractive for people in that regard,” Cheeseman said.

Mary Martin Moore, a first grade teacher at Eastern Elementary, was “ecstatic” when she heard a new elementary school would be built. 

“Being here, being in pods, you don’t get to mingle and cross paths as often as a traditional school so when I found that out, I was like so excited not only for me but for my coworkers that don’t know that experience – that have only been here,” Moore said.  

At Eastern Elementary, students have to walk outside to different buildings or “pods” during the school day. This design in recent years has given faculty members and families cause for concern regarding safety. 

“Our day, we are going in and out of a pod constantly. Even though we are fenced in, you’re still not enclosed into a building. I feel like having one building where we’re all enclosed, walking up and down those hallways, traveling from specials to lunch – the only time we will have to exit will be recess and dismissal. I feel like having those closed doors will be a lot safer,” Moore explained. 

Though Moore is close to retirement, she wants to keep teaching so that she can teach in a brand new classroom at Washington Elementary School. 

“Day one in a new school will be like Christmas,” Moore described. “Everybody going in, turnkey, all new stuff, having your coworkers side by side all the way down the hall will be just amazing. I feel like words cannot express how wonderful it will be.”  

Design plans for Washington Elementary School were completed by Greenville-based architecture firm Hite Associates. The new building will be constructed by Wimco. Hite also designed John Small Elementary and P.S. Jones Middle School. 

Cheeseman said the school is on track to open for the 2026 academic year.