MANTEO — Dare County commissioners and school board officials gathered Wednesday and plunged their ceremonial shovels into the ground at the south end of the College of the Albemarle campus here, marking the start of construction of the Dare County Early College building.
Early college programs are part of a state-authorized system created to “expand students’ opportunities for educational success through high quality instructional programming,” according to the 2003 state law known as the Innovative Education Initiatives Act.
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With an estimated cost between $21 and $25 million, the building here is scheduled for completion in winter 2026. This year’s first class of incoming freshman will utilize unused classroom space in the College of the Albemarle building.
“We’re building more than just a school on this ground today. We’re building opportunity,” said County Commission Chair Bob Woodard in remarks welcoming Dare County Schools leadership, elected officials and others who were instrumental in moving the project forward.
Officials donned red and white hard hats and wielded gold-painted shovels for the event held at the corner of 205 U.S. Highway 64/264 S. and Grenville Street.
Construction costs for the early college building are to be paid from a state lottery fund that can only be used for school capital improvement projects. The North Carolina early college program, known officially as Cooperative Innovative High Schools, has been in place since 2004 with more than 80 of the state’s 134 school systems now participating.
The program is geared to help students at risk of dropping out of high school, first-generation college students, and students who would benefit from accelerated learning opportunities.
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