One of the oldest and most overcrowded schools in Rutherford County will soon be replaced by a new facility.

The Rutherford County Board of Education will hold the official groundbreaking for the new John Colemon Elementary School on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015 at 9 a.m. The new school is expected to open in January 2017 after students return from winter break.

The existing school currently houses nearly 500 students but relies on 15 portable classrooms, many of which are in poor shape. The School Board is using land it already owns on the campus to build a new two-story facility, which will be comprised of 128,140 square feet.

The school's existing media center and gymnasium will be incorporated into the new facility while the remainder of the old building will be re-purposed for our school district use.