Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Community is building an elementary school for the 2018-19 school year. Ground was broken on the site at 1530 Norwalk Drive, Katy, on June 25.

The 50,000-square-foot building will be the first Catholic elementary school in the Katy area, according to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Principal Nicholas Morgan said the school will open in phases and eventually be pre-Kindergarten age 4 through eighth-grader.

“But we are opening [pre-K through third grade] the first year and adding grades in following years,” Morgan said.

Pre-K 4 is intended for four-year-olds. Morgan said opening enrollment is expected to be about 250 students, and tuition has not been set but would likely hover around $8,000 per year.

Morgan said nearly $5.3 million was raised for the project of June 27. The school is part of a nearly $14 million master plan that includes renovations to Epiphany’s outreach center and St. Vincent de Paul Society operations.

“Phase 2 entails moving the outreach center and [St. Vincent de Paul Society] toward the front of campus to be a more visible part of our campus,” he said.

Julie Vogel, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, said in a statement that the project was planned for several years.

“We are very excited about the opening of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic School in Katy for the 2018-19 school year,” Vogel said. “This is our only Catholic elementary school in the city of Katy, and having this school available for our Catholic families is important to the archdiocese.”