Collier County Public Schools breaks ground on Bear Creek Elementary

Collier County Public Schools has broken ground on Bear Creek Elementary School, home of the cubs, coming in August of 2025.

“There’s been a couple years in the planning for sure,” said Superintendent Dr. Ricciardelli. “And again, this is this is really going to take off the pressure sitting on Corkscrew Elementary and Laurel Oak Elementary, where they’re significantly overcrowded.”

Bear Creek Elementary will be located on Moulder Drive off of Immokalee Road, about three miles East of Collier Boulevard.

“I’m so excited because it will alleviate a lot of traffic, a lot of crowding at their current elementary school. I think they’re packed to the gills,” said Melodie Beaver, a CCPS parent.

The school will serve more than one thousand students, and it’s the first CPPS elementary school with an entire voluntary pre-kindergarten wing.

“So that those young children can get into a structured school setting, really important as they move into kindergarten to be kinder ready, not just academically, but also socially and behaviorally,” Dr. Ricciardelli added.

Linnea Beaver will be part of Bear Creek Elementary’s first fifth-grade graduating class.

“A lot of my friends from my old school are coming here, so yeah, we can also make new friends. And there’s going to be new teachers,” Linnea said.

The last time the district built an elementary school was in 2008. Superintendent Dr. Ricciardelli said they have no choice but to keep up with growth.

“People are excited about the future of the school because they’re expecting high-tech, new innovative space for their children,” Ricciardelli said. “We all want the best for our children.”

The school district purchased the 22-acre property more than 15 years ago and cleared and filled the site more than five years ago. Construction is underway, and Bear Creek Elementary will open its doors in August 2025.