JACKSON CO. — With the current school year nearing its end, the Jackson County School District is preparing to implement new attendance boundaries this fall in the St. Martin area. 

District officials said more than 50 families could be affected by the rezoning, which aims to balance enrollment between schools serving the St. Martin and Vancleave communities. 

Jackson County Superintendent David Baggett said new housing developments in St. Martin are expected to increase enrollment and could lead to overcrowding if the district does not adjust school zones. 

District weighs enrollment growth 

School board members discussed the issue during a November 2025 meeting, focusing on how growth in St. Martin could affect neighboring schools in Vancleave. 

“I’ve always said that Vancleave has kind of been viewed as a safety valve for the overflow that St. Martin has, and I guess this is what we’re trying to do to address it,” said Jackson County School District Chairman J. Keith Lee. 

The proposal has been under consideration since 2021 and is expected to take effect this year as the district prepares for anticipated enrollment increases. 

The rezoning affects several lower elementary schools, including St. Martin North Elementary and St. Martin East Elementary. Students living north of Joe Batt Road would be reassigned to Vancleave schools under the updated boundaries. 

The Jackson County School District operates 14 schools with a total enrollment of 8,936 students. Among the elementary schools, St. Martin East Elementary has the highest enrollment, with about 700 students. St. Martin North Elementary has 557 students, while Vancleave Lower Elementary has about 657 students. 

Gallery • 3 Photos

The map marks one of the first rezoning adjustments for St. Martin elementary schools. This change would redirect students who live west of Gulf Hills Road to St. Martin North instead of St. Martin East, including limitations on bus routes. (Jackson County School District)

Baggett said enrollment in St. Martin schools is already near its peak. 

“It’s going to come to a point where the population at St. Martin is going to be bigger than Vancleave and East Central put together. I just don’t think that’s a healthy thing for the district,” Baggett said. 

To help balance enrollment across the schools, one adjustment reassigns elementary students who live west of Gulf Hills Road to St. Martin North instead of St. Martin East. District officials said the change would help distribute student populations more evenly and reduce overcrowding at St. Martin East. 

“It’s a great school, but it’s already very large. If we can keep it from growing to 1,600 or 1,800 students at the high school level, that’s much easier to manage,” Baggett said. 

The rezoning plan includes a provision to “grandfather” currently enrolled students, allowing them to remain at their current schools despite the boundary changes. However, families who choose to keep their children at their current school outside the new zones would be responsible for transportation. 

“The existing students that are there — if they want to finish all the way through to graduation and that family is able to provide transportation for those students — then they’re welcome to do so,” Baggett said. 

Residents raise concerns 

Some Vancleave residents said they worry the changes could strain school resources and affect daily routines. 

Vancleave resident Kayleigh Dominey, whose son attends Vancleave Lower Elementary, said the district has adjusted grade levels at the school before in response to enrollment. 

“They already moved an additional grade to the lower elementary. It used to just be kindergarten, first and second, and now it’s kindergarten, first, second and third, so that’s four grades in that one school,” Dominey said. 

Dominey said she is concerned the schools may not be prepared for the upcoming changes, pointing to aging facilities and the need for more teachers. 

“Our schools have not been updated in quite some time. The Lower Elementary is still the same as when I went to school there in 2005. I feel like we need more classrooms and more teachers because there are going to be too many kids in one classroom. There are already 25-plus kids in every class,” she said. 

She also questioned whether the rezoning is happening too soon because some of the housing developments expected to drive enrollment growth are not yet complete. 

“Personally, I would not even consider the rezoning if I were on the board until that housing was close to being finished and people were starting to buy houses,” Dominey said. “Because why go ahead and move these kids that are already in St. Martin for houses that aren’t even built yet?” 

Dominey said she is concerned but believes students will likely adjust to the changes over time. 

“Hopefully it won’t congest traffic anymore. And if it does, then they’ll eventually learn, ‘OK, well, I can just leave at this time and I’ll be able to breeze right through Highway 57,'” she said. 

District prepares for transition 

District officials said the boundary changes will take effect in the fall semester, beginning with updated bus routes. 

Baggett said the district plans to contact families whose children will be affected and help them prepare for the transition. 

“I can call and let those parents know that we have changed it a little bit and this is what we’ve agreed to if you do want to finish off in your attendance center,” Baggett said. 

School board members also noted the district cannot continue sending buses on routes outside official attendance zones while managing growth and changes in surrounding communities. 

Baggett said the district will continue meeting with families and plans to offer school tours for students transitioning to new schools. 

During the most recent meeting, 13 signatures were recorded in support of the district’s long-term plans. 

“That’s the best compromise I think we can agree on because it accomplishes what we want to do with the future,” Lee said.