PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County's newest high school will be named after a leader in the Hispanic education community.
School board members on Wednesday voted unanimously to name the school in western Lake Worth Dr. Joaquín García High School.
The property is located on Lyons Road, just north of Lantana Road, right next to Woodlands Middle School. The school is scheduled to open in August of 2023.
More than a dozen political leaders, community activists, and residents spoke at Wednesday's Palm Beach County School Board meeting in favor of naming the school after García.
García, a Cuban-born local businessman, was a founding member of the Hispanic Education Coalition of Palm Beach County, where he served as chairman for more than 12 years.
"A fierce advocate for education and a strong supporter of dual language programs in Palm Beach County schools, his commitment to educational equity for all students set a powerful example and established a legacy of service that the HEC has pledged to continue," the School District of Palm Beach County wrote in a news release.
Garcia passed away in November 2021 and was posthumously honored with a proclamation from the Palm Beach County School Board one month later.
The doctor, who earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, was involved with the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, Compass Community Center, International AIDS Education Foundation, Cycle for The Cause, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Health Education Outreach, and more.
According to the school district, Dr. Joaquín García High School will have space for 2,600 students, and will feature business information technology and medical sciences programs.
The school is expected to relieve overcrowding at several Palm Beach County high schools.
According to the latest enrollment statistics from the School District of Palm Beach County, at least eight high schools are currently at or overcapacity, with Forest Hill Community High School being the most overcapacity with a 129% utilization.
The school district's Advisory Boundary Committee still has to draw the boundaries for the new high school to determine which students will go there, and which students may be rezoned for other area schools.
To learn more about Dr. Joaquín García High School, click here.