Orangeburg County School District breaks ground on new high school

ORANGEBURG, SC (WOLO) — Two years ago, voters in Orangeburg County approved a $190 million referendum for school district projects.

Of that money, $125 million is going towards one specific project that broke ground down in Orangeburg Thursday afternoon.

“It’s bigger than the building. It’s about a community and their show of support to what’s important and that’s our children,” said Orangeburg County superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster.

Thursday afternoon, Orangeburg County School District broke ground on a new Orangeburg Wilkinson High School. Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster says the current OW building needs some costly repairs.

“Some of the major issues we have there are mechanical units like HVAC. It’s a struggle,” the superintendent said. “Some days in that building it’s hotter inside than it is outside. Our HVAC, infrastructure, water and sewer have major impacts and heavy costs.”

The new high school will be built on 90 acres off of Cooke Road. The two-story building houses up to 1,600 students and will cost around $125 million. 

“This process has been underway as far as planning for over a year and a half,” Dr. Foster said. “We had to identify the site, scope of work, civil engineering drawings and endangered species work to make sure we had the best for our children.”

The original site for the new high school was set to be Red Bank Road, however the superintendent says the Cooke Road location will also serve the community well.

“We evaluated it and found that this site is just as workable, if not better than the old site,” Foster said. “If we can find a way to not only move education but also economic development as a partner, then that’s what we’re willing to do.”

The project is set to be completed between fall 2026 and spring 2027. OW freshman students are already looking forward to attending the new school.

“The class of 2027 will be the first graduating class in the new school,” said freshman class president Patrick Hubbard. “We are excited to cultivate a strong learning environment in a brand new facility.”