New high school in Lakewood Ranch is getting closer to being named

Now referred to as AAA High School, the School District of Manatee County has been gathering feedback on what the school should be named.

By Madison Bierl
| 5:00 a.m. April 17, 2026

AAA High School, which is located near Premiere Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, is set to open to freshmen and sophomores in August 2027.

East County
Schools

The high school under construction in Lakewood Ranch, located at Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard, is getting closer to losing its generic, placeholder of a name.

Thus far, it has been referred to as AAA High School, and it is set to open in August 2027 to freshmen and sophomores.

The School District of Manatee County School Board discussed the naming of the school in its April 14 workshop, hearing for the first time the dozens of suggestions from the public.

Associate Superintendent Kevin Chapman shared the results of a survey that gathered feedback from 1,189 respondents including students, parents, community members and employees who will be part of the new school. Of those respondents, 732 different names were suggested.

The school board previously stated they did not want to name the school after a person and instead preferred geographical names.

The top five names (omitting names of people) shared in the presentation were Rangeland, Lake Manatee, East Manatee, East Ranch and Lakewood Ranch East.

All of the school board members expressed their favor for the top result of the survey, Rangeland High School. It will be voted on during an upcoming school board meeting.

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.