MCMECHEN, W.Va. — Marshall County Schools has officially broken ground on Riverside Elementary School, a new educational facility that will replace the existing Center McMechen Elementary School.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place Thursday, November 12, at the future school’s location on the west side of McMechen. School officials, local leaders, students, staff, and community members gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction.
The new 65,000-square-foot school will sit on a seven-acre property and is designed to provide students with a modern learning environment, updated technology, and additional educational resources.
According to Marshall County Schools, the project received approximately $9.2 million in funding from the West Virginia School Building Authority in December 2023, covering about 30% of construction costs. The remaining expenses will be funded through local and levy funds without the need for additional bonds.
Waller Corporation was awarded the nearly $29.7 million construction contract in August 2026, while McKinley Architecture and Engineering was selected to oversee architectural and engineering services.
The new building will feature a combination of one- and two-story spaces, with classrooms organized into separate areas for kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade.
Each classroom area will include additional learning resources, including Title I support, sensory rooms, Applied Behavior Analysis classrooms, and resource rooms. The school will also include a dedicated preschool area and playground for pre-kindergarten students.
Other planned features include a full-size gymnasium with a stage for theater and music programs, along with playground facilities that will be accessible to the community.
The school will continue offering after-school care for students.
The Riverside Elementary name was selected with input from students, faculty, staff, and community members, reflecting the school’s location near the river. The school’s teams will be known as the Riverside Royals, with royal blue and Vegas gold as the official colors and a lion cub as the mascot.
School officials emphasized that the project is a replacement for Center McMechen Elementary and does not involve consolidating multiple schools.
Riverside Elementary School is expected to open in August 2028.
Source: Marshall County Schools, MCS News, “Groundbreaking Ceremony Held at New Riverside Elementary Location,” November 13, 2026.
For more local news and updates throughout the Ohio Valley, visit RiverNews.org.
