ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WKRN) — Construction is underway in South Nashville, where officials broke ground on Lakeview Elementary Design Center’s new building.

Over the next few years, a state-of-the-art facility will take the place of the current Lakeview Elementary, located at 455 Rural Hill Road. It will be build around the current space, so students can stay in their classrooms during the process.

There are currently about 700 young learners at Lakeview, but the expansion will allow that number to increase by roughly 100.

The director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, Dr. Adrienne Battle, said the building’s new technology will help create a more efficient and effective learning environment, setting these Pre-K through fifth grade students up for success.

“The way the school looks isn’t the most important thing,” Battle explained. “We all know that teaching and learning and giving our students an opportunity to perform and present and showcase their learning is top of mind, but a building’s condition can definitely set the right tone for our academic expectations.”

The new building was made possible through investments by the mayor and Metro Council in the Capital Spending Plan.

New Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said the development will not only support the education that’s already being fostered inside Lakeview, but also serve as a testament to the hard work happening in South Nashville, one of the fastest growing areas in the county.

“When you walk in and you can see that the community has chosen to make an investment like this, enrollment increases, energy improves,” said O’Connell. “It’s just a morale boost for all of those things that are already happening here.”