K-12 Education
K-12 School Construction
Twenty-five K-12 projects and $74 million of school construction, more than any other sector we build in.
School construction is the single largest part of what Gray Construction Services does. Twenty-five completed K-12 projects representing roughly $74 million in contract value, delivered for districts across North Central Florida.
Most of it has been delivered under construction management at-risk, which is the method Florida districts generally use when a board has to commit to a number before drawings are finished. Our largest is the $36.5 million Dixie County High School campus at 175,000 square feet, built as a joint venture and serving as a public emergency shelter.
The rest of the work is the unglamorous majority of school construction: classroom and administration additions, auditoriums, food service facilities, chiller replacements, re-roofing, HVAC renovations and campus improvements, most of it executed on campuses that stayed open throughout.
What school construction actually demands
The academic calendar is the hard constraint. A summer window does not move, and a project that misses it does not simply finish late, it disrupts a district's operations for a year. Schedule certainty matters more here than on almost any other building type.
Occupied campuses change everything else. Construction traffic has to be separated from student access, which is a safety requirement rather than a courtesy. Dust, noise and utility interruptions have to be planned around instruction. Daily coordination with facilities staff is part of the job.
Several of our school buildings carry enhanced wind ratings or emergency shelter classification, including EHPA ratings and FEMA 360 shelter standards, because the campus doubles as a public shelter. That brings inspection and documentation requirements that a standard commercial project does not have.
How this work is procured
Florida districts typically procure through construction management at-risk or design-bid-build, and both routes are open to us. Gray holds Florida certified general contractor licence CGC #062854 and carries bonding capacity of $75 million on a single project.
K-12 Education projects in detail
Columbia High School Food Services
Fort White Elementary School
$8.8 Million · 24,000 SF · Construction Management at-Risk
Ft. White High School Auditorium
$6.5 Million · 11,000 SF · Construction Management at-Risk
Dixie County High School
$36.5 Million · 175,000 SF · Construction Management at-Risk
More k-12 education work
Further completed projects in this sector, drawn from the company portfolio.
- Bell High School Cafeteria Addition
- Belleview Santos Elementary School Ceiling
- Branford Elementary HVAC Renovation
- Dunnellon Middle School Chiller Replacement
- Dunnellon Middle School Gym HVAC
- Dunnellon Middle School Gym Re-roof
- Gilchrist County School District Administrative Building
- Historic Trenton High School Gymnasium Relocation
- Lake City Middle School HVAC Renovation
- Niblack Elementary School Administration Addition
- North Marion High School Doors & Windows Replacement
- North Marion High School Re-roof Buildings 18, 24 & 8
- Summers Elementary School Cafetorium Renovation
- Trenton Elementary School Classroom Addition
- Trenton High School Media Center Renovation
- Trenton High School Parking Lot Improvements
- Trenton High School Re-roofing
- Trenton High School Lighting and Fire Protection Upgrades
- Suwannee High School Batting Cages
Common questions
Do you work on occupied school campuses?
Most of our school work is on campuses that stay in use. Phasing around the academic calendar, separating construction traffic from student access, and daily coordination with facilities staff are standard parts of the job rather than exceptions.
What is construction manager at risk on a school project?
The district engages the construction manager during design rather than after it. The manager contributes to budget and constructability, then guarantees a maximum price. It is the method most Florida districts use when a board must approve a figure before drawings are complete.
Can you build to emergency shelter standards?
Yes. Several of our school buildings carry enhanced wind ratings and FEMA shelter classification because the campus serves as a public shelter, including work on the Dixie County High School campus.
What size school projects do you take?
Completed K-12 work ranges from single-system replacements through to a $36.5 million, 175,000 square foot high school campus.
Other sectors we build in
Government and Public Facility Construction
34 projects · $125 million
Bank and Financial Institution Construction
25 projects · $24.7 million
Aviation and Hangar Construction
6 projects · $10 million
Healthcare and Medical Construction
13 projects · $5.6 million
Office and Administrative Construction
25 projects · $27 million
Restaurant and Retail Construction
17 projects · $16 million