Palm Beach County is one of the fastest-growing communities in the country — and some recent announcements out of Wellington have only made things more exciting. Recently, Polo player Nacho Figueras announced his plan to bring pro soccer to the area and desire to build a stadium where soccer and live entertainment can be performed. And now, Wellington has the opportunity to add world class education to the community’s offerings. Related Ross and Education in Motion (EiM) have set forth on a partnership to build a new private school in the village, supplementing the existing top-rated public schools and providing an alternative education option for residents.
The ambitious project is part of Related Ross’s plan to develop its 35-acre property in K-Park. The mixed-use space would include residential, and a much needed retail, dining, and hotel components that Wellington needs. But it’s the proposed Tier-1 PK–12 school that has everyone talking. Especially after the developer partnered with EiM founders Karen Yung and Fraser White, who have built a reputation as dedicated educators with 14 well respected schools around the world matriculating their students into top-tier universities.
New School Wellington — as it is being called until its official name would be announced if there is a positive council member PSA vote — will be a not-for-profit institution supported by private funding through Yung and White with the goal of becoming one of the best private schools in the country. The $300mm+ school development would feature the highest quality university-grade facilities, while the innovative, holistic curriculum will include programs to advance entrepreneurship, STEM, and environmental stewardship, alongside rigorous academics and an array of Olympic sports offerings. One unique and exciting aspect about the curriculum is their Ignite Program that would provide students the opportunity to pave their own specialized and professional paths based on their passions and goals, such as equestrian and other sports, the arts and entrepreneurship, while still providing top notch education in rudimentary fields.
This would be Yung and White’s first nonprofit school in the United States. Though it will not have a structural link to EiM, students will have access to the EiM family of schools as part of the global exchange program, where students can study abroad in Switzerland, Bali, or other EiM school locations.
As previously mentioned, the project would likely transform Wellington, much in the way new developments have recently transformed West Palm Beach. Currently, many Wellington families have to commute as far as an hour away for their children to attend private schools translating to 2-4 hours of commutes per day. There are also plans to give the village access to its facilities — including the auditorium and sports areas — when the school is not in use. Meanwhile, the Founders Scholarship Program will provide financial support to Wellington residents for the equivalent of 20 full scholarships per year for the first five years.
New School Wellington is targeting an opening date of August 2028.