Berkeley County Opens Two New Schools As Summerville-Area Growth Continues
Midtown Middle School and Bee Tree Elementary will serve more than 2,000 students while helping relieve overcrowding in the Nexton, Jedburg, Cane Bay, and Summerville growth corridor.
Berkeley County’s growth is showing up in a major way: two brand-new schools are now complete and ready to welcome students for the 2026–2027 school year.
Berkeley County School District officials and community members recently celebrated the completion of Midtown Middle School and Bee Tree Elementary, two new campuses that will serve students in some of the Lowcountry’s fastest-growing communities.
Together, the schools are designed to serve more than 2,000 students, with Bee Tree Elementary holding about 1,300 students and Midtown Middle holding about 1,100 students.
New Schools For Growing Communities
Bee Tree Elementary is located in the Jedburg area, northwest of Summerville. The school is expected to provide relief for several crowded elementary campuses, including Cane Bay Elementary, Nexton Elementary, Whitesville Elementary, and Carolyn Lewis School, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
That relief is badly needed. According to district attendance data referenced in recent reporting, Cane Bay Elementary had been operating well above capacity, with average daily attendance exceeding the school’s intended capacity by 162 percent.
Midtown Middle School will serve students in the Nexton area, a rapidly growing master-planned community that now has more than 10,000 residents. The new middle school is expected to ease pressure on Berkeley Middle and Cane Bay Middle, which were nearing capacity at the end of the 2025–2026 school year.
Nearly $176 Million In New School Construction
The two new schools represent a major investment in Berkeley County’s education infrastructure.
Bee Tree Elementary cost approximately $88.8 million to build, while Midtown Middle cost approximately $87.4 million. Combined, the two projects total about $176.2 million in new school construction.
Both schools were funded through Berkeley County School District’s Education Capital Improvements Sales and Use Tax, commonly known as the Penny Tax. The 1 percent sales tax was approved by Berkeley County voters in 2022 with about 70 percent support and is set to run through December 31, 2029.
This marks the first time Berkeley County School District has used a penny sales tax to fund capital improvement projects.
Why It Matters
The opening of Midtown Middle and Bee Tree Elementary is about more than new buildings.
It is a direct response to the rapid growth happening across Berkeley County, especially in and around Summerville, Nexton, Jedburg, Cane Bay, and surrounding communities.
As more families move into the area, schools are facing the pressure that comes with population growth: crowded classrooms, packed campuses, and the need for more long-term capacity.
These two new schools are expected to help relieve that pressure while giving students and teachers more space heading into the new school year.
More Berkeley County School Projects Are Coming
The district’s Penny Tax projects do not stop with Midtown Middle and Bee Tree Elementary.
Other capital improvement projects include renovations and expansions at Hanahan Middle School, Berkeley High School, Cane Bay High School, and Goose Creek High School, along with upgrades to multiple athletic fields.
With the two new schools now complete, Berkeley County School District is expected to continue moving forward with its next round of major school expansion projects.
For families in one of the Lowcountry’s fastest-growing areas, Midtown Middle and Bee Tree Elementary are another sign of how quickly Berkeley County is changing — and how much infrastructure is needed to keep up.
