Two Huntersville Catholic schools will welcome students back to campuses reshaped by millions of dollars in construction, with St. Mark Catholic School finishing a new artificial turf field just in time for Monday, Aug. 17, and Christ the King High School working through a $12 million building expansion set to wrap in December.

At Christ the King, the expansion will grow the campus from 65,000 to 82,000 square feet. The project adds a 250-seat cafeteria, a 50-seat outdoor eatery, a chorus and band studio, an industrial design workspace, two classrooms and expanded weight training facilities, according to the Catholic News Herald. The school's current lunchroom seats 170 and stays at maximum occupancy.

"It's going to be bigger and better, and we can't wait!" principal Mark Tolcher said in March 2025, when the expansion was announced.

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting is the architect. Barringer Construction is the general contractor.

Separately, Christ the King broke ground March 27 on its "Together in Sport & Spirit" outdoor athletic project, which includes new bleachers, restrooms and an emergency access road. The Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools consortium provided $1.1 million in funding for that work. The school's campaign page lists a $5 million "Champion" tier that would add artificial turf and 1,500-seat closed-deck seating, though whether fundraising reached that level has not been confirmed.

The high school opened in 2011 and enrolls about 435 students. The expansion will raise capacity to 600, with the school's strategic plan projecting 530 students by 2027-2028.

Down the road at St. Mark Catholic School on Stumptown Road, crews replaced the natural-turf athletic field with artificial turf ahead of the new school year. The school said on its Facebook page that the installation was on schedule, with perimeter concrete curb, filter fabric and stone base phases complete. A new playground is planned as the next phase, according to the Catholic News Herald.

Both projects are part of a broader wave of renovations across the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

St. Mark holds its open house Friday, Aug. 14, with middle school students starting Aug. 17 and grades 1-5 beginning Tuesday, Aug. 18.