$319 million project marks the latest milestone in the administration’s sweeping effort to rebuild schools and deliver modern campuses worthy of Virgin Islands students
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Tuesday hailed the groundbreaking of the new St. Croix Central High School as a defining moment in the ongoing transformation of public education in the Virgin Islands, calling the project another clear sign that the Territory is moving beyond deferred promises and into a period of visible, generational progress.
Joined by officials from the Virgin Islands Department of Education, the Office of Disaster Recovery, Consigli/Benton Joint Venture, students, alumni, and community members, the governor celebrated the launch of the $319 million design-build project at the school’s campus on St. Croix.
The new St. Croix Central High School will be a 165,000-square-foot campus designed to serve up to 1,000 students and support inquiry-based learning with a strong focus on the arts. The campus will include academic learning suites; dedicated spaces for theater, music, visual arts, and dance; labs and maker spaces; a gymnasium; and an ROTC building. Construction is slated for completion in December 2029.
Governor Bryan said the moment carries meaning far beyond the start of another construction project.
“Today is a good day for St. Croix and a good day for the Virgin Islands, because it is another clear sign of what is possible when we stay focused on the work of transformation before us,” Governor Bryan said. “I am deeply grateful for this moment, for the opportunity we have in this generation to remake and modernize our Territory, and for the many people across government, education, construction, and recovery who are doing the hard work every day to move that transformation forward.”
The governor said the groundbreaking reflects years of work to reverse decades of neglect in the Territory’s school infrastructure and to build learning environments that match the promise of Virgin Islands students.
“In 2009, after a serious infrastructure failure at one of our schools, an assessment found that it would take $1.5 billion just to modernize and improve the Territory’s school infrastructure,” Governor Bryan said. “Today, with the support of our federal partners in the recovery process, we have secured $4 billion for that broader work, and in just the last 30 days, we have broken ground on the modernization and reconstruction of three schools in the Virgin Islands. That is real progress.”
He said the reconstruction of St. Croix Central High School stands as part of a larger commitment by his administration to deliver safe, modern, resilient schools that support student achievement and strengthen communities for decades to come.
“The new St. Croix Central High School represents more than a construction project,” the governor said. “It represents a promise to our students, our families, and our future that the Virgin Islands is rising to meet this moment and building schools that match the talent, promise, and potential of our young people.”
Originally opened in 1967 as the successor to Christiansted High School, St. Croix Central High School has served generations of Crucian students and families. Governor Bryan said this next chapter honors that legacy while preparing the school community for a stronger future.
“For generations, Central High has held an important place in the life of St. Croix,” Governor Bryan said. “What we are building now is not just a new campus, but a foundation for the next generation of leaders, artists, thinkers, builders, and public servants who will shape the future of this island and this Territory.”
The governor also thanked Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington, ODR Director Adrienne Williams-Octalien, the VIDE team, project partners, federal partners, and the Consigli/Benton Joint Venture team for helping move the project forward.
As the Bryan-Roach Administration advances the modernization and reconstruction of schools across the Territory, Governor Bryan said the work underway is proof that the Virgin Islands is making the kind of long-term investments that will define its future. “We are not talking about transformation anymore,” he said. “We are building it.”
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