Hollister students to move to new $48 million Eastman Leadership Academy as aging school closes

Hollister-area students are set to move into a new pre-K-through-eighth-grade campus in fall 2026 as Halifax County Schools replaces Hollister Elementary Leadership Academy and nearby Pittman Elementary School.

The replacement school, Eastman Leadership Academy, was funded with approximately $48 million in North Carolina lottery revenue. The transition means students are not scheduled to return to either Hollister Elementary or Pittman Elementary for the 2026-27 school year.

Aging buildings made replacement a priority

Hollister Elementary was built in 1960. Over time, the school developed recurring problems involving its roof, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and playground.

The school’s principal described staff members coping with roof leaks, temperature problems and electrical issues. Those conditions were part of a broader need to replace aging elementary facilities in Halifax County, rather than continue relying on the existing buildings.

Pittman Elementary is also included in the replacement project. Together, the two schools are being replaced by Eastman Leadership Academy, which will serve students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

What changes for families

For Hollister students and families, the most immediate change is the school building where instruction will take place. Students are not scheduled to return to the older Hollister or Pittman campuses in fall 2026, and the former Hollister facility is being decommissioned.

The new Eastman campus is intended to consolidate the replacement of the two aging elementary facilities in one school serving a wider grade span. That means the transition affects elementary students as well as the future middle-grade students who will attend the pre-K-through-eighth-grade campus.

The project also represents a significant public investment in a rural Halifax County community. Its approximately $48 million cost came from state lottery revenue dedicated to school construction, tying the local change to North Carolina’s effort to address school infrastructure needs.

The report identifying the transition does not give the exact first day of instruction at Eastman Leadership Academy. It also does not identify a final reuse plan for the former Hollister Elementary building. The confirmed change for the 2026-27 school year is that students from Hollister and Pittman are not scheduled to return to those schools.