The Okaloosa County School Board approved a motion Monday to advertise a public hearing regarding the proposed re-missioning of Eglin Elementary School to add fifth grade and operate as a K-5 elementary school after the 2024-2025 school year.

• The change would alter attendance zones for students residing on Eglin Air Force Base proper who are currently zoned to attend fifth grade at Lewis School.

Superintendent Marcus Chambers explained during the board meeting that the decision stemmed from a request by Eglin leadership.

“This is something that we then looked into. We looked at allocations, we looked at impact to school data,” Chambers said.

School Board Member Linda Evanchyk noted that the change would return the school to its previous configuration.

• “Aren’t we just reverting back to where it was before?” she asked.

Chambers confirmed that Eglin Elementary is currently a K-4 school after fifth grade was previously moved to Lewis School, which serves K-8 students. If approved after the advertisement period, Eglin Elementary would become a K-5 school again, while Lewis would continue to maintain a fifth-grade program.

According to the draft resolution, students entering fifth grade in the 2025-2026 school year who reside within the geographical boundaries of Eglin Air Force Base proper would be zoned to attend Eglin Elementary instead of Lewis School.

If the board approves the resolution after the public hearing, the new attendance zones would take effect for the 2025-2026 school year and remain in place until further modified by board action.