The Virgin Islands Department of Education is excited to announce a significant milestone in constructing the new Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School site.

“We witnessed the groundbreaking of this site on February 23rd of this year. Today represents a significant stage of progress as the first concrete pour is underway. The construction of a new school in the District of St. Croix is a monumental event for the territory, as it has been decades since we have witnessed such a development,” said Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington.

Key partners in this project, including federal and local entities such as the New Schools Construction Advisory Board, MCN Build, the DLR Group, Witt O’Brien’s, the Office of Disaster Recovery, FEMA, VITEMA, VIHFA, the Department of Public Works, and the Department of Education staff, are collaborating on the construction of the new Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School. This project is a significant undertaking, with a budget of $163 million, aiming to provide modern learning facilities covering 145,000 sq. ft. It involves relocating the school to the former site of the Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School due to severe damage to the previous Arthur A. Richards Jr. High School caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.