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Polk County Public Schools is celebrating the completion of a modernization project at Southwest Middle.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Monday, March 4, at 5 p.m. at Southwest Middle, 2815 Eden Parkway in Lakeland.
This project costs more than $55 million and encompasses approximately 187,000 square feet. Through this modernization effort, Southwest Middle has been transformed into a new school and opened its doors to students in January 2024.
Southwest was founded in 1956 as a junior high school and became a middle school for grades 6-8 in 1992.
The new campus includes a centrally located courtyard, and the buildings incorporate the school’s colors to preserve its rich history. In addition, the cafeteria has been built to stringent federal codes, which will enable the cafeteria to serve as an emergency shelter for people during a hurricane.
This project was made possible by the school district’s half-cent sales tax, which Polk County voters renewed in 2018; impact fees also funded this effort.