May River Elementary School answers steady enrollment growth in the Beaufort County School District with a campus built for collaboration and security. The plan organizes around a central corridor that links shared community spaces to three two-story classroom wings. Each learning pod centers on an extended learning space that supports small-group work and collaboration within a secure environment. The exterior draws on low-country South Carolina architecture, with sloped roofs, masonry, and board-and-batten siding.

The 105,000-square-foot school will serve 800 students. Construction will preserve the site’s existing wetlands along with the tree buffers next to the neighboring residential community. Sited beside May River High School, the campus is master planned for a future middle school. The school is projected to be the first public school in South Carolina built with insulated concrete forms (ICF).