Hundreds of students expected to move schools in Alachua County with new rezoning map

A flurry of students are set to be rezoned for different schools based on new maps released by the Alachua County school district.

The proposed changes, brought forth by Superintendent Shane Andrew, are poised to take effect by the 2024-25 school year but are just the first drafted version released.

Though there has been little public input on the tentative maps from most of the affected communities so far, the district plans to host at least 11 public meetings prior to revised maps being finalized by the school board in November.

District-wide rezoning of schools in Alachua County has been a hotly debated topic for several years and hasn’t been done in 40 years. The lack of action from leadership over that time has led to significant overcrowding of schools beyond their capacity, which also plays a role in underpopulated schools performing poorly on testing and state exams.

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Overcrowding

District data shows that 20 of the 36 schools are overcrowded, with 14 of the district’s 22 elementary schools over capacity. In some cases, elementary students have been moved to middle schools or placed in mobile home-like classrooms.

At the next level, Fort Clarke, Oakview and Kanapaha middle schools are the most overcrowded, as are Newberry, Buchholz and Gainesville High Schools.

The data also shows that while schools in the western region of the county are overcrowded, underperforming eastside schools, such as Lake Forest Elementary and Eastside High, are vastly underpopulated and will likely pick up students just outside their borders.

Impact on elementary schools

The preliminary maps don't offer much insight into how the changes will impact those schools, as no data was released late Tuesday evening, but there are some notable shakeups.

The maps show that Archer Elementary School could offer Newberry some relief. Other schools, including Meadowbrook, Hidden Oak, Chiles, Terwilliger, Littlewood and Glen Springs, will see significant shakeups.

Middle schools

For middle schoolers, some living on the eastern edge of Kanapaha Middle School's zone will move to Lincoln. Westwood Middle School will creep into Mebane and Fort Clarke's existing coverage area.

Mebane, however, will also take a small portion of High Springs and Oak View middle schools' zone.

High school zones

For those in high school, some Santa Fe students on the eastern edge will be zoned for Eastside High School, while a smaller section of those living in the most southern portion will be moved to Newberry High, the map shows.

Buchholz's zone also gets smaller with students who live on the eastern edge being moved to Gainesville High. Hawthorne and Newberry high schools largely remain untouched.

The topic will be discussed further during the school board’s workshop Wednesday evening.

For more information on maps, upcoming school board and community meetings and other updates to the rezoning process, visit the district's website and rezoning page at www.sbac.edu/Page/31186. Residents can also offer their opinions via email at rezoning@gm.sbac.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County school district releases rezoning map for students