The Okaloosa County School District will hold community meetings in September and October to discuss boundary changes needed when Pineview School opens in August 2026, officials announced during Monday’s board workshop.
- Assistant Superintendent John Spolski said the district plans to meet with parents at each of the schools that will be potentially affected by the rezoning in the north-end of the county.
“We’re looking at having meetings with our parents September through October,” Spolski said. “We’ll go out to schools individually. There are five elementary schools in the north-end. There are two middle schools in the north-end. We have two K-12 schools in the north-end…”
The district will launch a zoning website with QR codes this week to provide timeline information and updates, Spolski said. Parents who cannot attend meetings at their assigned schools will be able to attend sessions at other affected campuses based on work schedules.
The new K-8 school is expected to enroll approximately 900 students, with 450 in kindergarten through fifth grade and 450 in sixth through eighth grade. Pineview will provide relief to overcrowded schools throughout the north-end, many of which are operating at 95% to over 100% capacity.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers detailed the enrollment pressures, noting that north-end elementary schools include:
- Antioch at 907 students
- Bob Sikes at 742 students
- Northwood at 768 students
- Walker at 771 students
- Riverside at 1,045 students
On the middle side, Shoal River has 980 students and Davidson has 1,091.
In contrast, most elementary schools south of the Shoal River have fewer than 600 students, other than Bluewater and Destin Elementary, which Chambers called “good, healthy elementaries.” Among middle schools, the south-end has smaller enrollments with Bruner at 661, Meigs at 555, and Pryor at 645, while Ruckel at 1,078 students faces high enrollment pressure similar to the north-end schools.
“The north-end schools, with the addition of Pineview, are going to get some much needed relief with the ability to still grow,” Chambers said to Get The Coast of the north-end campuses.
The district is working with professional consultant MGT to analyze boundary changes not just for the 2026-27 school year when Pineview opens, but also looking three to seven years ahead to account for continued growth in the area. Spolski said that the district is also looking at the central and south-end as well.
- Spolski noted that school boundaries don’t always form perfect geographical shapes due to various factors. The district has one existing zone that “fingers out into different places,” while others form cleaner shapes using natural boundaries like Highway 90, Interstate-10 and area rivers.
Construction on Pineview remains on schedule, with all foundations complete and structural framing underway. The school is being built on 49 acres west of the new Crestview bypass with capacity for 1,200 students.
One Response
You’re worried about the elementary and middle schools being over capacity, but they’re all funneling into one highschool that is also way over capacity. Are there plans to expand the high school? Or, what really needs to be done, build a new highschool on the south side of town?