Legacy Early College plans $60M Marion Road campus

Legacy Early College plans to build a new $60 million 55-acre campus on Marion Road.

Leaders plan to open the campus for 1,300 students in grades K4-8 in the fall of 2027, according to a news release. The campus will expand access, relieve capacity constraints and support the success of Greenville’s largest Title 1 school.

Designed by Moody Nolan, the nation’s largest African American-owned architectural firm, the new Legacy Early College campus will feature modern classrooms and bright, collaborative learning spaces. It will also include innovative learning environments aligned with Legacy Early College identifies as its three pillars: academic excellence, nutrition and physical education.

“This campus represents the next chapter for Legacy Early College, our scholars and the families we proudly serve,” William W. Brown, the founder and CEO of Legacy Early College, said in the news release. “We’re meeting our community’s urgent needs while strengthening the early academic foundation that leads our scholars to and through college.”

Charter School Growth Fund recently recognized Legacy Early College as one of the nation’s top charter schools. Along with a $1.85 million multi-year commitment to support the growth of Legacy Early College, this addition to the fund portfolio ensures that Legacy Early College will have ongoing access to support and guidance from the organization, the release stated.

“Our team is incredibly grateful to receive this generous financial award,” Brown said in the release. “It’s an honor to be recognized as innovators in the field of education. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Charter School Growth Fund as we begin our capital campaign to fund our new campus on Marion Road.”

Legacy Early College is situated in an area west of downtown Greenville that has historically faced systemic poverty, educational barriers and limited opportunities, the release said. Known as the “Legacy Zone,” this community has experienced generational challenges, with high school dropout rates that once exceeded 50% and college attendance rates below 10% before Legacy Early College opened. Since its establishment in 2009, LEC has been transforming this narrative, showing that children from this community can succeed academically and attend college, according to the release.

The Marion Road Campus reflects Legacy Early College’s long-term growth strategy. The expansion addresses critical capacity constraints as the school currently operates at full capacity with an extensive waiting list.

Legacy Early College currently serves more than 1,600 scholars from Greenville’s historic Westside neighborhoods and beyond. The K-12 school combines a whole-child model that includes free nutritious meals, daily physical education, dual-enrollment opportunities, and intensive college counseling.

The Marion Road Campus will increase capacity from K4 through eighth grade, reduce waitlists, modernize classroom environments, strengthen early college-readiness pathways, and support long-term enrollment growth, the release said.

The design by Moody Nolan of Columbus, Ohio, breaks from traditional educational facility design with an approach that reimagines how students learn and interact.

“Traditional schools feature long hallways with classrooms branching off — a model that has remained unchanged for generations,” Brown said in the release. “For Legacy Early College, we’re creating small learning pods that encourage collaboration, emotional development and personalized instruction. These open, flexible spaces will enable more dynamic teaching and foster a sense of community among students.”

The design includes:

• Outdoor learning yurts for hands-on STEM exploration
• Open, flexible collaborative spaces that adapt to teaching styles
• Modern classrooms designed to foster emotional and social development
• State-of-the-art arts and music spaces nurturing creativity
• Gyms supporting daily physical education
• A cafeteria offering nutritious, balanced meals

In 2021, Moody Nolan firm became the first Black-led architecture firm to receive the prestigious AIA Architecture Firm Award. The firm’s portfolio includes projects such as the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Malcolm X College in Chicago, and the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court facility.

Legacy Early College boasts that it has transformed educational outcomes in the Legacy Zone:

• 97.2% four-year high school graduation rate
• Nearly 100% college acceptance rate
• Millions of dollars in scholarships awarded annually
• 3,800-plus college dual enrollment hours earned since 2019

More than 200 LEC graduates have returned to the area to work, invest and mentor younger scholars.

Legacy Early College has launched a comprehensive capital campaign to bring the school’s vision to life. The campaign seeks to raise funds for construction, state-of-the-art learning environments, and endowment support for long-term sustainability.

“When you invest in Legacy Early College, you’re not just building a school-you’re transforming generations,” Brown said. “This campus will serve as a national model for how education can break cycles of poverty and create lasting change.”

Major gift opportunities are available for naming rights and programmatic support. Donors interested in learning more about the campaign or making a contribution should contact Graham Hardaway, vice president of Legacy Advancement, at 864-420-1332 or [email protected].