Northwest Florida State College celebrated a major milestone on Thursday with the grand opening of its cutting-edge School of Nursing building at the Niceville Campus.

The Okaloosa County School District Transportation Department has released school bus routes for the 2025–2026 school year, which starts on Monday, Aug. 11.

Making the transition to kindergarten can be hard for any student. That is why the Okaloosa County School District is stepping in to make the process easier through their “Kickstart” program.

Florida’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday starts on Friday, Aug. 1 and ends on Sunday, Aug. 31.

Holly Tew has served in a variety of roles across the Okaloosa County School District, from Davidson Middle School to Shoal River Middle School to Riverside Elementary School and Crestview High School. Now, she will be taking on a position within the district itself as Director I of Secondary Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

This year’s event will take place on Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Walmart locations in Crestview, Destin, Niceville and Fort Walton Beach. The event which is held during Florida’s Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekend, offers families and community members an opportunity to give back while shopping for their school supplies.

The Okaloosa County School District earned 793 points to earn an “A” rating from the Florida Department of Education. 92 % of schools in the district earned an “A” or “B” rating, which was up by six % from the previous school year.

In preparation for the first day of school on August 11, the Okaloosa County School District is reminding parents that if their child is new to the district, now is the time to register. To begin the enrollment process, visit www.okaloosaschools.com/page/registration.

In early June, eighteen Okaloosa County educators completed the FSU InSPIRE teacher certification program.

The program is a weeklong professional learning experience focused on artificial intelligence prompt engineering and robotics integration in the classroom.

Six high schoolers from North Okaloosa County earned scholarships from AMVETS Post 35 in Crestview and the Ladies Auxiliary Group on June 17. The Post awarded four scholarships worth $2,000 while the Ladies Auxiliary Group presented two scholarships that were worth $500.