OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Big changes are coming to the Okeechobee County School District, as the completion of Okeechobee High School reshapes how students are educated across the district.
Beginning next fall, ninth-grade students will join grades 10 through 12 on the same high school campus, ending the current system that separates freshmen from upperclassmen.
“I think it’s a good idea. It’s a great investment that the county did,” said parent Troy White.
White’s daughter is currently in ninth grade and splits her day between two campuses.
“She’s got classes here at the freshman campus, then she has to bussed to the high school and back here,” White said.
District leaders say the move will reduce travel time and allow students to spend more time in the classroom.
“The number of students having to, for instance, shuttle from the 9th grade center to the main campus for certain classes, that number has expanded, which obviously any time we can save instructional minutes, we want to do that,” said Joseph Stanley, assistant superintendent for the Okeechobee County School District.
As part of the transition, the current freshman campus will be converted into the Achievement Academy for secondary programs. The existing Okeechobee Achievement Academy will then become an early learning center dedicated to prekindergarten students.
District officials say the change will allow the district to expand pre-K enrollment from 100 students to 150 students.
“Seventy-five percent of students who enter kindergarten not reading on grade level, they will never read on grade level, and so really looking at how we can impact long-term achievement through early learning really has become a focus of the district,” Stanley said.
Parents like White say the changes could have lasting benefits for students and the community.
“They are the future leaders of tomorrow,” White said. “So the earlier we start the better off we are.”
The school district says more information about timelines and transportation will be shared as planning continues.
Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalists to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
