The Okaloosa County School Board is moving forward with plans to hold a public hearing on rezoning an attendance area currently shared between Ruckel Middle School, Bluewater Elementary School, and Destin Middle School.
- During the Jan. 13 board workshop, Assistant Superintendent Grant Meyer reported that just over 30 students currently use transportation services from the north side of the bridge to attend Destin Middle School, with 18 of those being eighth graders who will advance to high school next year.
“It strains the central zone as far as an additional bus or two, depending on how many students,” Meyer said.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers noted that the dual-zone arrangement was established when Destin Middle School had lower enrollment numbers. “As we know, enrollment at Destin Middle School has vastly increased,” Chambers said.
Projections show the school’s enrollment reaching 745 students for the 2025-26 school year, significantly above its controlled open enrollment capacity of 601 students.
- The enrollment pressure at Destin Middle School is expected to ease when fifth-grade students return to Destin Elementary School following the completion of its new two-story addition in August 2026. The expansion project, approved last July, will add 30 new classrooms and allow the elementary school to serve students from pre-K through fifth grade.
If approved, the rezoning would allow current Destin Middle School students from the affected area to continue attending the school. Transportation services would continue through the 2024-25 school year and the entire 2025-26 school year, ending at the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Meyer outlined communication plans pending board approval, including letters to affected parents, individual phone calls, and meetings at both Destin Middle and Bluewater Elementary schools.
Students may still have the option to attend Destin Middle School through controlled open enrollment after the transportation services end, provided they can arrange their own transportation, according to Meyer.
