CRESTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL BECOMES OKALOOSA COUNTY LARGEST SCHOOL

If you didn't think the newest Okaloosa County residents targeted Crestview; I believe the following story will put that to bed. As our normal military transfer cycle of about 25-30% moving in and out every year, and now the new F-35 Training Squadron and the 7th Special Forces personnel coming; it is quite obvious most of them have decided to make the Crestview are their home.

Crestview High is Okaloosa’s largest school
By BRIAN HUGHES
Florida Freedom Newspapers

CRESTVIEW — As of last week, at least, Crestview High School boasted the title of the county’s largest school, surpassing Niceville High School for the first time.
If the title holds, Crestview will be among three north county schools to become the largest in the county. Antioch Elementary and Davidson Middle schools have the largest enrollments in their respective grade divisions.
Enrollments still are being calculated and the numbers will change.
“If we wait a week, we will know exactly where the dust has settled,” Crestview Principal Ed Coleman said.
On the first day of classes, 1,952 students showed up at Crestview. By Wednesday enrollment had dropped to 1,930 students.
Such adjustments are not unusual, school administrators said.
“A lot of the kids who are military have transferred out of here, but they haven’t told us yet,” said Coleman, who added that his staff is trying to contact the families to formally adjust the school’s student count.
Whatever the final counts, north-county schools are growing. At the same time, school officials have noticed a decline in Okaloosa’s south end. At a recent candidates’ forum, Okaloosa School Board Chairman Rodney Walker said the district has lost 600 students overall, but enrollment is increasing in the north end.
“We’re going to have to close some schools in the south end and build more schools in the north end,” Walker said.
There are 1,200 student “stations,” or spots, open in the south part of the county, but less than 200 stations are available in the north end, Walker said.