Lexington-Richland School District Five board members have approved a $17.6 million project at Irmo High School International School for the Arts. 

The district has partnered with Edcon Inc., a construction company, to complete a new cafeteria and student center at the high school. 

The project will also include meeting rooms and a new student bus loop with a canopy.

Plans for the cafeteria will serve a capacity of 700 students at a time and will include a loft designated for seniors. 

District officials said the $17.6 million project will be funded through the bond referendum and is expected to be completed by fall 2026.

On Election Day 2024, 68.54% of Lexington County voters approved a $240 million bond referendum for the Lexington-Richland School District Five.

The approval will fund a variety of projects, including school renovations, classroom additions, new constructions and more.

As part of the referendum, rezoning will begin in the 2026-27 school year for certain areas in the district.

The district also maintains a public dashboard on its website that allows residents to track the status of the bond referendum’s phases. 

The dashboard displays seven key steps: procurement, design, construction documents, permitting, construction, occupancy and closeout. Each step is marked with a color-coded do–red for “not started,” yellow for “in progress” and green for “completed.”

The priciest project displayed on the dashboard is the new Dutch Fork Elementary School, budgeted at $41,400,000.00. Its procurement and design show an "in progress" status, and the other categories, including permitting, construction, occupancy and closeout, each show a "not started" status.