CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Construction efforts at Freedom Elementary continue as the school off Fort Campbell Boulevard takes shape and preparations continue for the August 2026 opening.
During the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board meeting on Nov. 4, Norm Brumblay, CMCSS chief operations officer, said that block walls are is going up and electrical and plumbing are underway.
“Current construction progress puts us approximately at 50-55% complete on our construction timeline,” said Bryan Lopp, CMCSS Facilities Engineering Manager.
Freedom Elementary to open next fall
The new school is on a 17.96-acre site east of Fort Campbell Boulevard at the end of Wallace Boulevard, just west of Outlaw Field Road.
According to Lopp, crews are working on interior framing, drywall installation, block installation, structural steel and steel bar joist erection, roofing, permanent power to the building, parking lot rock subbase and more.
The $44.8 million project kicked on in late April/early May, and Lopp said spring rains hindered site clearing and grading activities. “However, drier weather followed and progress quickly accelerated, allowing the construction schedule to remain on schedule for a projected completion date in summer 2026 with a planned opening in August 2026,” Lopp said.
Dr. Nabraunda Jackson has been selected as Freedom Elementary’s first principal. She is currently principal of Northeast Elementary, and she was previously principal of Byrns Darden.
Elementary schools going over capacity
On average, 670 new students are enrolled in CMCSS every year, mainly in the northernmost portion of the county. According to CMCSS, Region 2, which falls between Fort Campbell and the Industrial Park, continues to experience the highest long-term growth at all three levels: elementary, middle and high school.
Elementary school capacity in Region 2 has hit its break-even point, and during the 2020-21 school year, the district added 12 classroom additions to both West Creek and Oakland Elementary schools, providing short-term relief.
According to previous reports, CMCSS had plans to build five new schools by 2035. Brumblay told Clarksville Now they tend to go by the five-year plan, which is based on the most accurate data.
He said the 10-year and 20-year plans assume populations do certain things, but population growth tends to have a mind of its own, and estimating that far out can be hazy. However, they do reassess the long-range plan every year.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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