County commissioners, school board members and Town of Clayton leaders gathered Thursday to kick off a $129 million rebuild of Clayton High School, a long-anticipated overhaul that will rise on the school’s existing campus. The project is phased so students can keep attending class in the current building while a new main facility goes up next door. Construction starts with replacing the home grandstand at the football stadium, and officials say the initial phase is slated to wrap up in late 2027.
What the new campus will include
The district’s plans call for a new main building that packs in an auditorium, two gyms, a cafeteria and a media center, plus a three‑story classroom wing and upgraded CTE and science labs, according to Johnston County Public Schools. The district notes the project is designed for a capacity of up to 2,300 students, with LS3P listed as the design team and Barnhill Contracting Company named as the construction manager.
Local reporting describes the work as a two‑phase approach that lets students stay put on campus while the new building is constructed, instead of being sent to an off‑site location during construction, per JoCo Report.
Phasing, funding and facilities that stay
Johnston County sought roughly $129.38 million to complete the rebuild, and county leaders moved ahead with key funding steps so construction could stay on schedule, as reported by WRAL. County staff told commissioners they might temporarily front some costs until the state Local Government Commission signs off, in order to avoid slowing down the contractor.
The county’s Facebook post, which shows photos from the groundbreaking ceremony along with renderings, also notes that the existing baseball and football facilities will remain in place while the old school and gym are later torn down to make room for a new softball diamond, tennis courts and a multipurpose field. Johnston County Government on Facebook published those images and details.
Why leaders kept the site
Local coverage says keeping the high school in downtown Clayton was both a community priority and a cost calculation, and that staying put ultimately beat out any plan that would have relocated students offsite during construction. JoCo Report notes this rebuild is the county’s third new school project in four years as growth pressures continue to drive campus construction and upgrades.
Renderings, timelines and regular construction updates are posted on the district’s rebuild page, and parents can expect staged work, along with new athletic and arts spaces, to materialize as crews move through each phase, according to Johnston County Public Schools. Officials say the project will reshape the campus while keeping it active for students through the fall of 2027 and into 2028 as later demolition and field work move forward.
