FRANKLIN, NC. – As construction continues on the new Franklin High School in Franklin, North Carolina, project partners gathered to celebrate an important milestone with a team appreciation lunch and topping out ceremony. The event recognized the hard work, collaboration, and dedication of the many individuals helping bring the project to life while marking the placement of the building’s final structural beam.
Hosted on-site, the celebration brought together subcontractor partners, Macon County school officials, and members of the project team for an afternoon focused on appreciation and progress. Guests were treated to a BBQ lunch, commemorative project t-shirts were distributed, and everyone who has played a role in the project was invited to leave their signature on the final beam before it was lifted into place.
Macon County Schools is currently constructing a brand-new 279,000-square-foot replacement facility for Franklin High School on the existing 20-acre campus on Panther Drive. Designed as a state-of-the-art educational environment, the new campus will feature a new stadium, fine arts center, and advanced Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms, with the grand opening officially scheduled for 2027.
Phase one of the multi-year project is well underway, with structural framing now complete for the gymnasium, fine arts center, and cafeteria. The new stadium, press box, and artificial turf field are scheduled for completion in August 2026 and will debut during the Panthers’ first home football game of the season.
Thus far, the project team has erected 1,145 total tons of structural steel, poured 12,700 cubic yards of concrete, and installed more than 280,000 concrete masonry units (CMU), reflecting the significant scale and continued progress of the project. The new campus also includes a 3,400-seat football stadium designed to enhance both student and community experiences, all representing a major investment in the future of education in Macon County.
With the final structural beam now in place, the project team continues making strong progress toward delivering a modern learning environment designed to support academic achievement, student engagement, and community pride. The ceremony highlighted not only the physical progress of the building, but also the partnerships and shared commitment that have made the milestone possible.