Legacy Early College plans to build a $60 million, 55-acre campus in the Berea neighborhood west of Greenville.
The new facilities on West Marion Road, about a quarter-mile east of White Horse Road, will serve approximately 1,300 scholars in K4 through eighth grade, increasing the public charter school’s enrollment capacity and supporting future growth.
“This campus represents the next chapter for Legacy Early College, our scholars and the families we proudly serve,” said Founder and CEO William Brown.
Construction will begin in March 2026 and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2027. Harper General Contractors is overseeing the project. Once completed, the new campus will replace Legacy Early College’s elementary school on West Washington Street and the K4 Center on Bramlett Road.
Students in grades nine through 12 will remain at the 900 Woodside Ave. campus in Greenville’s City View neighborhood.
The school was established by Brown in 2009 to help underserved students living in Greenville’s Westside neighborhoods prepare for college and achieve their academic goals. High dropout rates and low college enrollment have historically characterized this area, known as the “Legacy Zone.”
“We want to demonstrate that kids of poverty, given the right opportunities, can excel because they have the same capacity, very similar capacity, as anybody else,” Brown said.
Today, it is the largest Title 1 school in Greenville, with approximately 80% of its students classified as living in poverty. It currently operates at full capacity with more than 1,600 enrolled.
Legacy Early College purchased the property for the new campus for $3.49 million in 2024, according to the Greenville County Register of Deeds. Brown said it took several years to find the ideal site.
“This is the perfect place,” Brown said. “We expected to be part of the community and the community a part of the school, and hopefully that will have some transformational impacts on the school and on the neighborhood.”
Innovative design
Moody Nolan, the largest African American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., designed the new campus on Marion Road. It was designed to reflect the school’s three main pillars: academic excellence, nutrition and physical education.
The 184,000-square-foot academic building will consist of modern classrooms and collaborative learning spaces. Classrooms will open up to learning common areas, replacing the standard long hallways found in traditional schools.
“For Legacy Early College, we’re creating small learning pods that encourage collaboration, emotional development and personalized instruction,” Brown said. “These open, flexible spaces will enable more dynamic teaching and foster a sense of community among students.”
Other design elements include a two-story library and media center, dedicated art and music rooms, two gyms, a large cafeteria, an outdoor classroom and STEAM yurts with science labs. Athletic fields will also be built.
Legacy Early College launched a $25 million capital campaign to help fund the new campus. Brown said other financing sources will be used to cover the project’s remaining cost.
For more information, visit legacyearlycollege.org.
In other news …
Charter School Growth Fund recently recognized Legacy Early College as one of the top charter schools in the U.S. The public charter school was accepted into Charter School Growth Fund’s portfolio in October, which allows the school to access coaching and support resources.
In addition, Legacy Early College received a $1.85 million multi-year commitment from Charter School Growth Fund to support the school’s growth and development.
“Our team is incredibly grateful to receive this generous financial award,” said Founder and CEO William Brown. “It’s an honor to be recognized as innovators in the field of education. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Charter School Growth Fund as we begin our capital campaign to fund our new campus on Marion Road.”
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Quotes
“This campus will serve as a national model for how education can break cycles of poverty and create lasting change.” – William Brown, founder and CEO of Legacy Early College
“A zip code where a child grows up should not determine their educational outcome.” – William Brown, founder and CEO of Legacy Early College
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Did you know?
Ohio-based Moody Nolan is the architect for the new Legacy Early College campus in Berea. The firm’s portfolio includes the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Malcom X College in Chicago, and the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court facility.
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Graduation
Legacy Early College had 15 scholars graduate from high school in spring 2025 with more than 60 hours of college transfer credits. The K-12 public charter school’s graduation rate for 2025 was 97.2%.
