DODEA drops proposal to revamp Yokota schools after community feedback

Department of Defense Education Activity won’t move forward with a proposed merger of Yokota Middle and Yokota High School according to Pacific East District Joan K. Mendel Elementary School at Yokota Air Base, Japan, is pictured on Oct. 28, 2026. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes) YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The Pentagon has scrapped a proposal to reconfigure the public schools on this airlift hub in western Tokyo. Department of Defense Education Activity won’t move forward with a proposed merger of Yokota Middle and Yokota High, along with unspecified changes to the base’s two elementary schools, according to an Oct. 19 memorandum from Pacific East District Superintendent Jacqueline Ferguson. The decision followed feedback from military families and installation partners, DODEA spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.

“While the proposed changes offered potential operational benefits, the final decision prioritized the importance of minimizing disruption,” she wrote. Yokota High lacks sufficient space to accommodate such a merger, according to Ferguson’s memo. Neither the memo nor Tackaberry’s response detailed the changes considered for the elementary schools. Tackaberry said DODEA has evaluated ways to balance class size, maintain consistent staffing and maximize resources amid fluctuating elementary school enrollment in recent years. Yokota’s four schools serve approximately 1,200 students, including more than 700 enrolled in the elementary schools, according to