New schools set to open as growth soars in Iredell County

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Iredell-Statesville elementary schools are bursting at the seams as students return for the first day of class Monday.

Channel 9’s Erika Jackson took a look at what’s behind the increase in students and the district’s plan to ease the burden.

Victoria Jolly believes the people at Shepherd Elementary make her daughter’s school extra special.

“Everyone there is loving and kind, and they’re just a big family at Shepherd, and I’ve loved that about them,” Jolly said.

More students are joining the Shepherd Elementary family as the population continues to grow in southern Iredell County.

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The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance says nearly 200,000 people live in Iredell, and 5,000 others are expected to move to the county within the next five years.

Iredell-Statesville Schools says Shepherd is one of three elementary schools in the district over capacity. Plans are in the works to build a new elementary school to alleviate some of that congestion.

“We can use lots of different tools to help with capacity,” Mark Shinkaruk, chief operations officer for the district, said. “We can do quick modular units to try to do a quick fix, but in the southern end, we have plans for a brand new elementary school.”

Shinkaruk says Shepherd, Troutman, and Coddle Creek elementary schools are exceeding capacity by 300 students combined, so the district is preparing to break ground on Parkertown Elementary, which will house up to 720 students.

Construction is already underway for the district’s newest high school, which will be built for up to 1,600 students.

Shinkaruk says these new projects will allow students and staff to have a “more natural feel” to the school day.

“We are also outfitting the school to not only meet the current capacity, but have room for growth too,” he said.

Jolly’s daughter will be heading to middle school before construction is finished, but she hopes her son will have a special experience at the new elementary school.

“I do think that it will definitely serve a purpose for Iredell-Statesville Schools to have a new school for children to go to,” Jolly said.

The new elementary and high schools are set to open for the 2027-2028 school year. The school district says there will be community meetings to discuss boundary changes later this year.

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