Bilingual elementary school plans move from Mercer Island, Wash., to Seattle

The French American School of Puget Sound, a private bilingual elementary school in Mercer Island, Wash., is planning to move its campus to Seattle.

The school has bought a 51,016-square-foot property to house its new campus, reports 425 Business. Cost of the acquiring the property and subsequent construction combined is estimated at $70 million to $80 million.

The site is large enough to accommodate a high school, for which a feasibility study is planned.

Growing enrollment has prompted the school to look for a location with more space. The Seattle site is about six miles west of the school's Mercer Island location, a 10-minute drive. 

The school opened in 1995 in a church basement in Newcastle before moving to Mercer Island in 1999.

The Seattle site will enable the school to roughly double its size.

The school now leases its campus from the Stroum Jewish Community Center.

The school is expected to open in fall 2025. School leaders have not decided whether it will maintain a presence on Mercer Island after fall 2025.

Mahlum is the architect, and Sellen Construction is the general contractor.