School officials say the new school is to meet a rapid increase in students.
Plans for a new elementary school in Madison are underway. The $49 million project promises to meet the growing student population.
The new school does not have a name yet, but it will be built on Hardiman Road near the roundabout there.
Madison City Schools Superintendent Ed Nichols says the school system has about 13,000 students. They average about 300 new students each year.
By 2030, Nichols expects student numbers to reach 15,000. He says this new school will help accommodate that increase and create more room for the new programs they've added.
"We now have full-time music, and we now have full-time art," Nichols explained. "We now have a full-time STEM teacher. So, the programmatic things that we've added have been a challenge for us for space."
The new school will be on the edge of Limestone County. Nichols says 27 percent of their student body comes from that county and re-zoning will be necessary.
Meanwhile, Madison's mayor, Paul Finley, says this new addition will reduce morning traffic and give some families a shorter commute.
"We're working together on these types of projects that move traffic while building school infrastructure," Finley said. "It's a win-win for everybody in the city."
Finley says on average for the last 40 years, Madison gains a family of four each day. With so many new students coming to the city, he and Nichols say they knew it was time to build a new school.
The new school is scheduled to open in August 2026. Nichols says they will most likely send out a survey to students and parents to help name it.
This rendering shows what the new elementary school on Hardiman Road in Madison will look like when it is completed in August 2026.
