School board members greenlighted the design and construction of a new 3-story classroom building this week at Coconut Grove Elementary School, with the capacity to serve 176 students when it opens, perhaps as early as 2028.
The Miami-Dade County School Board has approved the design and construction of a new $15 million, three-story classroom building at Coconut Grove Elementary School at Grand Avenue and Matilda Street.
The proposed 23,000-square-foot building will include eight new classrooms and a skills lab, with capacity to serve 176 students, and should be ready for student use at the start of the 2028-2029 school year.
Founded in 1887, Coconut Grove Elementary is the oldest continuously operating school in the county. Its main classroom building has stood since 1911.
The new building, which will replace the school’s physical education building, will include an open-air basketball court on the ground floor with bleachers and scoreboard, second-floor classrooms, and an unfinished third floor available for future expansion.
The plans approved Wednesday also call for the installation of a stand-alone chiller building, a new covered walkway, a new digital marquee and enhanced entry plaza, and improvements to the school’s art and music suites and cafeteria.
To jump-start the project, the school board agreed to re-purpose a design previously used at Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center, a move that will reduce design fees and expedite the construction timeline, according to the proposal.
The Miami architectural firm Gurri Matute P.A. will oversee the design and manage the construction of the new facility, with estimated completion in September 2028.
The item passed without discussion, leaving unanswered the question of whether the new space would serve the existing student body, or an expanded enrollment. As of February, the school had 511 students.
The CGE Parent Teacher Association declined to comment on the addition.
The announcement of the new building comes as the school board weighs whether to close nine schools throughout the district next month – including six elementary schools – due to declining enrollment and budget cuts.
None of the targeted schools are in Coconut Grove.
There were approximately 13,000 fewer students enrolled in Miami-Dade Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year, compared to the one prior.
