STUART — The Martin County School District is weighing a broad restructuring of how schools operate, as leaders look to adapt to changing expectations from families and growing competition from charter, virtual and neighboring school systems.
Daniel Moore, the district’s executive director of curriculum, told school board members that the long-standing school model has reached a point where it no longer serves all students equally.
“This is an old design, and for decades it met the needs of the families that we serve,” Moore said. “It’s not a bad model. It meets the needs of a growing district. It’s scalable, but that’s not where we are now. It meets the needs of the majority, but right now we need to meet the needs of everybody.”
District leaders say enrollment trends show parents increasingly seeking schools that offer specialized programs and more flexibility. Moore said the district must respond if it wants to remain competitive.
“Today’s families expect choice. They expect specialization, and when we don’t offer it, they look elsewhere,” he said. “If we want to remain the first choice for families in Martin County, we have to evolve.”
Among the proposals is a transition to K-8 schools, replacing the traditional separation between elementary and middle campuses. Moore said the current structure creates one of the most challenging moments in a student’s academic experience.
“In our district, the transition from grade 5 to grade 6 is one of the most disruptive in the K-12 experience,” he said. “Achievement dips. Attendance suffers. Engagement drops. Students leave. K-8 models reduce that disruption, and the outcomes follow.”
School board members asked Moore how quickly the K-8 change would happen and which campuses might be considered first. Moore said district staff are still reviewing enrollment data and facility capacity.
“I think we have enough research to know we could place at least two and maybe three with high impact,” he said. “But ultimately, in February, we’ll present what those numbers look like and what those combinations are, and you guys will have the data and information to make an informed decision.”
While converting schools to a K-8 model would take time, Moore said another part of the plan could move forward sooner.
“Embedding magnets within our schools can happen much faster,” he said. “We already have the buildings. We have the space. We have the personnel and the staff to manage a much quicker rollout of magnet programs.”
Proposed magnet offerings include visual and performing arts, STEM programs such as robotics and coding, and accelerated academic tracks that include dual enrollment and college credit.
District leaders are also exploring the creation of standalone specialty schools built around specific themes. Moore said interest from families has been strong.
“In addition to frequent queries for specialized programming, there is strong evidence of parent demand for standalone specialty academies,” he said. “Programs like classical education, early college, technical high schools, hybrid virtual models and medical career academies.”
He added that the district has also seen interest in flexible learning campuses that support virtual and home education, as well as medical-focused schools tied to the region’s growing health care sector.
No decisions have been made on the changes, as the proposals remain under review. The school board is expected to revisit the discussion at its February meeting, when Moore plans to present more detailed data on which schools could be affected first and how enrollment patterns might shift.
Board members also asked staff to examine year-round schooling as a possible option as the district considers its next steps. Community members and parents will have a chance to weigh in as school staff continues its research and outreach, and at the February meeting.