Members of the Hopkinsville Rotary Club toured the consolidated Christian County High School construction site and learned more about the academic opportunities that will be offered at the school on Tuesday.
The school is set to open to students in August 2026 and brings together the student bodies of Christian County and Hopkinsville High Schools and will also house Gateway Academy. Christian County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Bentzel says construction is moving along on schedule and within budget.
The construction timeline and funding came into question after the school system lost nearly $8 million in federal funding that was supposed to go toward the high school’s construction. Christian County was among many school systems across the country to lose ESSER funding which was granted to school systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bentzel says the loss in funding will not impact the construction and he is focused on preparing for the upcoming farewell school year for the high schools. Work is still being done, to see if they can get that federal funding back and Bentzel says they are also open to other grant opportunities.
In the meantime, Bentzel says they are still evaluating if funds need to be internally reallocated to support the school’s construction.
Turning toward academic programs, Bentzel says they are working on developing the Racer Academy which will offer dual-credit opportunities for students planning to attend a four-year university. The academy will be at the Murray State Hopkinsville campus which neighbors the high school. Bentzel plans to have the academy established by spring 2026.
The school system also has dual credit programs with Hopkinsville Community College called Pathfinder Great Start and the Pathfinder Fast Track. Once the school opens, Bentzel says they plan to possibly have HCC instructors come to the school and teach career and technical education classes.
On the tour, Interim Assistant Superintendent Jason Wilson took Rotarians through the school’s main entrance, auxiliary gym, commons area and what will be the agriculture academy. Wilson says the school’s design includes a lot of natural light because it’s a mood and productivity booster.
Then when it comes to building security, many areas of the school have only one entrance and exit point, and while each academy has a second floor, none of them are connected by bridges. Wilson says each academy will have its own front office that will be locked during class time.
The new school is set to be led by Executive Principal Ken Carver, who comes from Muhlenberg County High School, where he served as principal.
