CARTERET COUNTY -- A Cape Carteret elementary school now has more space for students with its 14 new classrooms. 

During a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, White Oak Elementary School officially unveiled it's more than 18,000 square foot expansion.

The new addition also features enclosed hallways to ensure the safety of students and staff.

With more than 800 students, Carteret County School officials say additional classroom space for fourth and fifth graders addresses the schools growing pains. 

"This end of our county does experience a lot of growth, and so this has been one that we continue to add trailer, after trailer, after trailer,” said Mat Bottoms, Superintendent of Carteret County Schools.

White Oak Elementary will no longer hold classes inside of mobile classrooms thanks to the added space.

"We love our classroom,” said Ashley Kelsey, a fourth grade teacher at White Oak Elementary School. “It is huge, it has lots of space, the fourth graders, they're big, they're getting bigger so we needed the space for them." 

The project cost $3M dollars and took about 15-months to complete.