Attendance dropped sharply Wednesday as deputies, counselors and school officials returned to campus after the stabbing attack.
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. — Walton Middle School reopened Wednesday with extra law enforcement and mental health support, one day after investigators said a 12-year-old seventh grader carried out a knife attack that wounded two students and a paraprofessional before fleeing campus.
The reopening put the focus on recovery as well as criminal charges. Authorities said the suspect was being held without bond in secure juvenile detention after being charged with attempted murder and other offenses. At the same time, school and county leaders faced pressure to explain how a student armed with a kitchen knife moved through the building before the school day began and why two children remained in intensive care more than 24 hours after the attack.
When students returned Wednesday, the campus looked open but uneasy. Officials said attendance fell to 41%, well below the school’s usual 91% to 93% range. Superintendent Russell Hughes said the district added deputies, staff members and mental health counselors to help students and employees get through the day. Hughes defended the decision to reopen so soon, saying district leaders did not want hundreds of children left home alone to dwell on the violence. The previous morning’s attack had begun shortly after the suspect arrived at school. Investigators said he entered a bathroom, emerged minutes later wearing a balaclava and carrying a kitchen knife, and stabbed three people in a span of about 35 seconds. He then ran from the building and was caught nearby within minutes.
Investigators say the physical facts of the case are becoming clearer even as the motive remains unknown. The sheriff’s office said the knife came from the suspect’s home and was later recovered from a retention pond near the school. Officials said the victims had no known prior connection to the suspect, and detectives described the violence as random rather than targeted. One student was airlifted to Pensacola, while another student and the paraprofessional were taken by ambulance for treatment. By Wednesday, the paraprofessional had been released, but both students were still in the ICU undergoing what Sheriff Michael Adkinson described as lifesaving care. About 40 students were in the building during the early-arrival period when the attack happened, according to officials. That detail has sharpened concern over how many others were nearby when the violence broke out.
The school district and sheriff’s office are now balancing two tracks: restoring normal operations and building a criminal case. Walton Middle canceled classes Tuesday after the attack, and families were directed to reunification arrangements away from campus while investigators processed the scene. By Wednesday, county leaders were publicly discussing both campus support and prosecution. Adkinson told reporters that the safety system worked as well as it could once the attack started because a school resource deputy was already on site and deputies captured the suspect quickly. But he also acknowledged the limits of school security, saying officials cannot promise every attack can be stopped before it begins. Hughes said this was the first time the district had faced an incident like this, underscoring how unfamiliar local leaders are with managing both trauma response and intense public scrutiny at the same time.
The legal case is moving, but several major decisions remain ahead. The 12-year-old has been charged as a juvenile with attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, wearing a mask during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence and disrupting a school function. He is being held in secure juvenile detention in Crestview. State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said prosecutors have not ruled out seeking adult charges through a grand jury, though she said that decision will wait until more evidence is reviewed. Investigators are still examining surveillance video, witness statements and the suspect’s background. Authorities have not released his name, and they have not announced when, or whether, that could change. Officials also said a prior suspension about a month ago was not related to this week’s attack.
For families returning to school, the official updates did not erase the shock of how fast the violence erupted. The attack happened before the day had fully started, during the ordinary rhythm of morning drop-off, when students and staff were entering the building and preparing for class. That timing has made the case especially unsettling in Walton County, where leaders described the episode as something the district had never before experienced. The reopened campus, with extra deputies and counselors in place, reflected an effort to show order after a chaotic morning that ended with helicopters, ambulances and a criminal investigation. Yet the strongest image from Wednesday may have been the missing students: more than half did not come back.
As of Wednesday evening, the two injured students remained hospitalized, the suspect was still in juvenile detention, and officials said the next milestones would come from further medical updates and prosecutorial decisions about whether the case stays in juvenile court or moves toward adult charges.
Author note: Last updated March 25, 2026.