WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. – A crowd watched as the final structural beam on a new middle school was lifted into place in West Jefferson, built with the support of $50 million in lottery-funded grants.

Ashe County Schools recently held a “topping out” ceremony on the site of the future Ashe County Middle School, a $96 million project that unites the district’s sixth through eighth grade students under one roof for the first time. The ceremonial signing and placement of the steel structural beam marks a significant milestone for the long-awaited school, set to open in 2028.

Each of the 33 new classrooms overlooks the surrounding mountains, situated at the foot of the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. Lottery officials joined local leaders, school board members, and district staff on a tour of the construction site, guided by Ashe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Eisa Cox.

“Our children, for years to come, are going to reap the benefits of this beautiful school on this beautiful piece of land that is truly designed for learning to take place,” she shared.

In addition to county support, more than $50 million raised by the lottery made the new school possible through state-awarded grants. Ashe County is among 62 North Carolina counties to receive a grant of this kind, totaling $2.4 billion in lottery funds used to build and improve public schools.

To date, lottery dollars have helped open more than 45 new or renovated schools through the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund — one of three ways the lottery supports school construction costs.

Replacing aging facilities built in 1966, plans for the new middle school feature a three-story media center, two gymnasiums, an auditorium, as well as classrooms for art, band, wrestling, and health. The building spans over 150,000 square feet, with room to expand their CTE programs for industry-focused learning in agriculture and Project Lead the Way curriculum.

The North Carolina Education Lottery began 20 years ago on March 30, 2006. Since then, the fun of playing the lottery has returned $12 billion for education. Raising more than $1 billion a year for the past three years, the impact extends to all 100 counties of our state. Lottery dollars help counties build and repair schools, give four-year-olds a head start through NC Pre-K, support districts with the expense of school support staff and transportation, and help to fund the Next NC Scholarship to make college more affordable. Visit nclottery.com/impact to discover what two decades of lottery play mean for education in all 100 North Carolina counties.