A teacher at Rhodes Elementary noticed something was wrong with a third grader — the child couldn’t see clearly. A school counselor tracked down the mother, who said she had already taken all three of her kids to the eye doctor. She had the prescriptions. She just didn’t have the money to fill them.

What was once a furniture showroom and later an overhead door supplier became something else entirely Tuesday: a hands-on career and technical education hub that Santa Rosa County School District leaders say has been 14 years in the making.

The Santa Rosa County School Board is set to consider an updated school choice plan for the 2026-27 school year at its Thursday meeting, a document outlining how families across the district’s roughly 31,000 students may request transfers and access alternative education options.

A Pace High School environmental science teacher has been awarded a $50,000 classroom makeover grant from Florida Power & Light and the NextEra Foundation, school and district officials announced Wednesday.

When Reina Cain applied to spend a semester abroad in Jordan, she figured it was a long shot.
“I was like, this is never going to happen. I’ll just put my hat in there,” the Pace High School junior said. “And then somehow I got in, and then I was on my way into Jordan.”
What followed was seven months of language lessons, cultural discoveries and new friendships. However, that trip was cut short in March when regional military tensions prompted organizers to send the group home early.

Students at Central School got to enjoy a day outside as local businesses and groups came out for the school’s annual FARM Day.

Some mornings at Rhodes Elementary School begin with more than just the school bell.

A 2023 graduate from Pace High School helped lead the grand opening of a new marching band facility at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. The ribbon cutting took place Friday, March 6.

Rivers Lewis, who is currently a Junior and drum major with the Jaguar Marching Band, said the complex is years in the making.

Santa Rosa District Schools has announced the grand opening of the Santa Rosa Center for Innovation, a state-of-the-art facility designed to expand hands-on, career and technical education opportunities for students across the district. A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the new center located at 6447 Highway 90, Milton, Florida, 32570.

Northwest Florida Construction Career Days celebrated a record-breaking sixth year in 2026.

The annual construction and transportation career fair drew more than 1,400 students and chaperones from schools across seven Northwest Florida counties. Counties involved in this year’s event included Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.