The Marion County School Board approved a rezoning change to two middle schools in southwest Ocala that will be in effect for the upcoming school year.
During its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 22, board members voted unanimously to approve an adjustment to the attendance boundaries for Liberty Middle School and Howard Middle School.
Liberty Middle School is located at 4773 SW 95th Street in Ocala and serves a large portion of southwest Ocala. Howard Middle School is located at 1655 NW 10th Street, serving a large portion of northwest/north Ocala.
The new rezoning will be implemented at the start of the 2025-2026 school year this August. Rising fifth grade students will be grandfathered in to remain at Liberty Middle without transportation, according to the district.
The school district held multiple work sessions dating back to January, as well as Tuesday’s public hearing to gather feedback on the proposed change.
A rezoning map shows that approximately 163 students in two different zones at Liberty Middle School would be impacted by the change.
The district believes that the rezoning will improve the existing boundaries and help alleviate localized overcrowding. Additionally, Liberty Middle School will have a new 16-classroom wing during the upcoming school year, which will reduce its utilization.
The district projects that Liberty Middle School will enroll 1,063 students at 68% utilization for the upcoming school year, and that Howard Middle School will enroll 1,036 students at 82% utilization.
The Marion County School Board regularly meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
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