Construction crews have broken ground at C. Robert Markham Elementary School in Pompano Beach, kicking off a $24 million rebuild of the aging campus at 1501 N.W. 15th Ave. The project will replace older structures with new classrooms, administrative offices, an expanded cafeteria and auditorium, and specialized spaces for art, music, pre-K and exceptional student education programs.
Broward County Public Schools broke ground on the campus transformation Friday, according to TAPinto Pompano Beach. The outlet reports the project will span 72,000 square feet, including three new buildings totaling 43,000 square feet, and will add a central courtyard, covered walkways, parking lot improvements, security lighting and new landscaping. Crews have already begun moving earth and staking out building footprints at the southern edge of the campus, per the same report.
Architectural filings describe the work as a replacement and innovation project for the existing technology magnet school, according to Carty Architecture, which lists the School Board of Broward County as the project owner and the construction cost at $24 million. The firm's plans call for a multipurpose auditorium meant to serve as a venue for assemblies, performances and community events.
New Classrooms, Flood Fixes And Outdoor Learning Space
Bid documents filed for the project's second construction phase outline ESE resource rooms, two VPK classrooms, one VPK-ESE classroom, two skills classrooms, a music room, an art room and eight intermediate classrooms, according to bid records. The same filing describes an art patio, outdoor dining space and an open field intended for outdoor learning or physical-education activities. Those documents had projected the project's start for the second quarter of 2026.
The site work goes beyond new buildings. Carty Architecture's plans note the overall school site is being modified to address extensive flooding that occurs along its northeast and southwest perimeter, a longstanding issue for the 1966-built campus. Broward's own SMART Futures program page lists the Markham work as an improvement or replacement of Building 1, and the district held a community meeting in April 2024 to discuss the status of the renovation.
Officials Tie Construction To Pompano Beach Growth
Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said Pompano Beach continues to grow and needs investment in upgraded facilities, according to TAPinto's report. Hepburn also said people are moving to the city as it undergoes revitalization, the outlet reported, a framing that the district used to justify prioritizing the Markham rebuild even as it weighs facility cuts elsewhere.
Pompano Beach City Commissioner Beverly Perkins, who represents District 4, said she was happy construction is proceeding in Pompano Beach while schools are closing elsewhere, per the same TAPinto account. Perkins said the new construction will give students a safe, air-conditioned building for learning. Mary Phillips, treasurer of the Markham Elementary PTA and a District 4 commission candidate, said the construction shows the school board cares about east-side schools and represents progress for local families, according to the outlet.
A District Weighing Closures As One Campus Rebuilds
The ground-breaking lands amid a broader reckoning for Broward County Public Schools, which has about 60,000 empty seats as enrollment declines, according to NBC6 South Florida. The district is considering consolidating 10 schools, including seven elementary schools and three middle schools, the station reports. Hepburn told the outlet the district lost 11,000 students between the first day of the previous school year and the first day of the current one, attributing the decline to low birth rates, the high cost of living, reduced immigration and competition from school choice options.
TAPinto's report notes Broward County Public Schools is also considering right-sizing facilities in areas with declining student enrollment, even as Markham moves forward. Markham itself is a Title I school where roughly 540 students are enrolled in grades PreK through 5, and 98.4% qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, according to a Cognia executive summary posted by the district.
The rebuild also arrives as Broward works to shake off years of construction delays tied to its SMART Bond Program. The program hit its 10-year mark with less than half the work complete and a price tag of $1.7 billion, a 70% increase over original estimates, the Sun Sentinel reported. The paper cited a Riverside Elementary renovation once planned to cost $1 million and finish by 2020 that ended up costing twice that and was still being unveiled years later, while district officials said they were pushing to close out 10 to 12 projects per month.
