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Collège Soualiga moved into its new 900-pupil campus at La Savane in April 2026

On 20 April 2026 pupils of Collège Soualiga started classes in the new 900-place Collège 900 at La Savane, built after Hurricane Irma at a cost of EUR 44.6 million.

By SXM Daily ·

Reported 20 April 2026.

Pupils of Collège Soualiga, a secondary school on the French side, started classes in a new building at La Savane on Monday 20 April 2026. SoualigaPost reported that Collectivité third vice-president Dominique Democrite Louisy, who is responsible for human development, visited on the first day.

Aerial view of Marigot and its bay, Saint-Martin

Photo: Kevin Gabbert / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, illustrative

A long wait

The school had been short of space since Hurricane Irma. Construction of the new campus, known as Collège 900, began in 2023 and was first due to finish for the September 2025 school year, Le Pélican reported in September 2025, when the opening had slipped to early 2026.

Le97150 reported that 550 pupils moved in and that a ribbon was cut by Vice-Rector Harry Christophe, the school's longest-serving teacher and one of its youngest pupils.

What was built

According to SEMSAMAR, which managed the project on behalf of the Collectivité, the campus can take up to 900 pupils and has 5 buildings, 31 classrooms and 5,400 m² of floor space. It includes a built-in hurricane shelter for the public, solar panels, rainwater collection and facades designed to keep classrooms cooler and reduce the need for air conditioning.

SEMSAMAR put the total cost at EUR 44.6 million. It said the French state paid 56.06%, including EUR 15 million from the Ministry of National Education, the Collectivité 23.77% and the EU's FEDER regional fund 20.18%. Le97150 reported a cost of EUR 41 million; SXM Daily has used the figure from the project manager.

Sources

  • https://www.soualigapost.com/fr/actualite/51989/education/le-coll%C3%A8ge-900-%C3%A0-la-savane-ouvert-ses-portes
  • https://www.le97150.fr/education/le-college-soualiga-ouvre-ses-portes
  • https://www.lepelican-journal.com/college-900-un-nouvel-etablissement-tres-attendu/
  • https://semsamar.fr/actualites/saint-martin-college-soualiga-accueille-premiers-eleves/

Source: https://semsamar.fr/actualites/saint-martin-college-soualiga-accueille-premiers-eleves/