Seaside School begins lottery application period for 2024-25 school year

SANTA ROSA BEACH — The Seaside School in Walton County has announced that the lottery application period has begun for the upcoming school year for grades five through eight at Seaside Neighborhood School and grades nine through 12 at Seacoast Collegiate High School.

"At The Seaside School, we are dedicated to providing a responsive, challenging, empowering, equitable, and engaging learning environment for all students," Executive Director Tom Miller said in a release. "The lottery is a pivotal opportunity for families to join our close-knit community and experience the transformative impact our school has on academic and social development and where academic excellence, personal growth, and community partnerships are at the forefront of our mission."

Here is what we know.

Seaside School 101

Founded in 1996 as the Seaside Neighborhood School, it is Florida's oldest public charter school.

For the past 21 years, The Seaside School has maintained an A rating from the Florida Department of Education, has ranked within the top 1% of all Florida public schools in math and science and has been recognized as a Florida School of Excellence for more than five consecutive years.

In the 2023 graduating class, students have earned more than 3,300 college credits through a dual enrollment program with Northwest Florida State College and more than $3.6 million in academic and athletic scholarships, the school said.

"Our graduates have not only excelled academically but have also earned significant savings in college tuition - over $760K last year alone," Seacoast Collegiate High School Principal Drew War said in the release. "With up to 60 tuition-free college credits, an associate degree, and scholarships to their college or university of choice, our students are well-prepared for success in higher education and beyond."

The lottery process

Both schools will accept applications for the 2024-25 school year from Jan. 5 through Feb. 15. Parents and guardians who are interested can take a tour of either school each Tuesday and Thursday after school hours.

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To be considered for admission, parents must provide a current report card, transcript or list of courses a student has taken. If the applicants provide a complete and accurate application, they will then be placed in a lottery process, where they will be randomly selected using a third-party lottery selection software.

The lottery selection process is scheduled to take place on Feb. 29, with parents and guardians receiving a notification about the decision within 24 hours after the lottery takes place.

For more information about the enrollment process, parents are encouraged to visit SeasideSchools.net.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Seaside School announces lottery enrollment is open for grades 5-12