PROVIDENCE – State, city and school officials broke ground on a new Alfred Lima/Gilbert Stuart School, an $82 million project that will replace the former Gilbert Stuart Middle School and create a single campus serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The Providence Public School District said the new building will include a dual-language program, grade-specific learning spaces, a library and media center, and facilities for arts, physical education and science.
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Construction is expected to be completed in 2027, and students currently attending Alfred Lima Elementary School will remain in their existing building during the project.
Superintendent Javier Montañez said the project reflects the district’s focus on improving learning environments.
“When students learn in modern, inspiring spaces, it shapes their confidence, their curiosity and their future,” Montañez said, adding that the pre-K-8 model is intended to reduce disruptions by allowing students to remain in the same school community longer.
The project is part of a broader initiative to upgrade school facilities across the district. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said the new school will support academic stability for families by eliminating the traditional transition to middle school.
“By eliminating the traditional middle school transition, we are giving Providence families a decade of academic stability,” she said.
Mayor Brett P. Smiley described the project as an investment in the city’s students and infrastructure, while local and school officials highlighted the collaboration among state and municipal agencies involved in the effort.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor for the Providence Business News. He can be reached at Mudambi@PBN.com.
