Trends in education come and go, and the “split campus” kindergarten through fifth grade model appears to be on the way out, at least here in Baldwin County.
The School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to merge Midway Hills Primary and Midway Hills Academy, essentially creating a K-5 school. The split campus model dates back to the 2017-2018 school year, which created a pair of K-2 schools and a pair of 3-5 schools. Prior to that, the Baldwin County School District had four K-5 schools – Blandy Hills Elementary, Creekside Elementary, Eagle Ridge Elementary and Midway Elementary.
“Similar conversations” will now take place about merging Lakeview Primary (the old Creekside) and Lakeview Academy (the old Eagle Ridge), according to district leaders.
Consolidating the two Midways will necessitate a rezoning. Students who currently live north of Ga. 22 and west of US 441 currently are zoned for Midway. The consolidated plan would place these students in the Lakeside district. However, the BCSD offers waivers for parents wishing to place their children at specific schools, although transportation is not offered for waiver students.
At previous town hall meetings, Superintendent Kristina Brooks pointed out the logistical challenges for parents who currently have one child at Midway Hills Primary and one at Midway Hills Elementary, touting that consolidation would cut down on transportation issues and encourage more participation in extracurricular activities. The consolidation also will reduce transportation costs and fuel costs, according to Brooks.
However, a large part of the decision to consolidate had to do with declining attendance. At last count, Midway Hill Academy had an enrollment of 458 students in a school designed for a maximum of 950, while Midway Hills Primary (the old Blandy Hills) had 397 students in a school designed for a maximum of 1,000.
It’s part of a greater trend in the BCSD and the majority of rural school districts in Georgia. Thirty years ago, for example, there were 6,391 students in the district, which included 3,098 in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Fast forward to this school year, and it’s 4,324 total students and 1,885 K-5 students, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s FTE “head counts.” In other words, there were 48 percent more students in the Baldwin County School District 30 years ago than there are today.
Midway HIlls Academy, the one on US 441 South, will be home to the new K-5 Midway school, while Midway Hills Primary (the old Blandy Hills) will be transformed into the new Baldwin Success Academy, reserved for certain students in grades 6–12. The students at Baldwin County Success Academy, according to a slide during the presentation, would be a combination of “alternative school students, GNETS students, select eighth grade students and 5th-year seniors” at Baldwin High.
“The smaller learning environments (at the proposed Baldwin Success Academy), we feel, will help them be more successful,” Assistant Superintendent Rodney Tyson previously said.