Baton Rouge University Preparatory Elementary, also known as Up Elementary, will break ground on its new school in the Howell Place mixed-use development in north Baton Rouge on Wednesday.
The charter school opened in 2013 and is currently located on Monarch Avenue in north Baton Rouge, about one mile from where the new school is going up. It will be built on 6.4 acres acquired last July from Howell Place developer Richard Preis for roughly $1.5 million.
School officials say the new location will serve more students and will eventually house as many as 600 students in grades K-5.
“We are thrilled to finally begin the construction of our new home on Howell Boulevard,” founder Meghan Turner says in a statement.
Construction is expected to take place in two phases, with the first scheduled for completion in August. The second phase includes the addition of permanent structures and is expected to be completed during the 2018-2019 school year.
