Seaside School Claims #3 Combination School Spot in Florida

The Seaside School, Inc., the oldest, operating public charter school in the state, was recently ranked the #3 combination school in the State of Florida. The school performs above the majority of combination schools statewide and continually scores higher on college entrance exams compared to the national student average.

Notably, data from the most recently administered tests in 2021 show Seaside School, Inc. scored #2 in the State of Florida for 7^th and 8^th grade mathematics, #7 in the State of Florida for 10^th grade English Language Arts (ELA), and #6 in the State of Florida in 8^th grade science. Additionally, students scored an average of more than 140 points higher than the state average on the PSAT.

Seaside School, Inc. is a combination school that encompasses elementary (5^th grade), middle school (6^th through 8^th grades) and high school (9^th through 12^th grades).

Depending on the specific state assessment, the school is either compared to other combination schools and/or to all schools statewide.

“Certainly the performance of Seaside School, even with a small population of students, plays an integral part in the success of Walton County School District’s grade. We treasure this relationship and the willing, intentional collaboration that we engage in for each child to receive a world-class education, contributing to the success of all students,” said Mr. A. Russell Hughes, Superintendent of Walton County School District.

Middle School – Statewide Achievements

The Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) test is an annual test administered in the subjects of English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and end-of-course (EOC) subjects such as Algebra 1. This annual assessment serves Florida students by measuring education gains and progress.

Seaside Neighborhood School is among the top-performing public schools in the State of Florida in the following categories on the FSA and EOC exams for the 2020-2021 school year:

• 7^th Grade Mathematics: #2 Ranked School
• 8^th Grade Mathematics: #2 Ranked School
• 5^th Grade Mathematics: #4 Ranked School
• 8^th Grade Science: #6 Ranked School
• English Language Arts, Grades 5^th through 8^th: Top 4% Overall

High School – Statewide Achievements

Seacoast Collegiate High School earned stand-out results  in the following categories on the FSA and EOC exams for the 2020-2021 school year:

• 10^th Grade English Language Arts (ELA): #7 Ranked School
• 9^th Grade English Language Arts (ELA): Top 4% Overall
• US History Pass Rate, End of Course Exam (EOC): Top 5% Overall
• Algebra 1, Fall 2020, End of Course Exam (EOC): Top 6% Overall

National Achievements

In addition to state assessments, Seaside School, Inc. students take the national PSAT in 8^th and 9^th grades and advance to the SAT and ACT in 11^th and 12^th grades.

Both the middle school and high school students at Seaside School, Inc. outpaced the national and state scores on the 2020 administration of the PSAT. On the PSAT 8/9, Seaside School, Inc. students scored over 140 points higher than the state average with a mean score of 968 in 8^th grade and 1034 in 9^th grade. Students continue to exceed national averages by earning nearly 300 points above the national average with an average composite score of 1272 on the PSAT/NMSQT as 11^th graders.

11^th and 12^th grade Seaside Collegiate High School students have a mean average SAT score of 1188 which is 121 points above the national average of 1067. Additionally, the national ACT score in 2021 was a 20.6, and most recently Seacoast Collegiate High School students scored 3.7 points above this average with a mean score of 24.3.

Learning Gains

Overall, 5^th through 10^th grades had significant learning gains in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics with the 2020-2021 FSA exam. 66% of these students made learning gains in English Language Arts (ELA) while 87% of grades 5^th through 10^th students made learning gains in Mathematics.

Seaside School, Inc. has a proven track record of continually progressing the students performing in the bottom 25% of their grade level. For the 2020-2021 FSA test, the School’s bottom 25% of students in 5^th through 10^th grades made learning gains of 66% in English Language Arts (ELA) and 86% in mathematics. To quantify how impressive these results are, the State of Florida averages for learning gains of students in the lowest 25% in 2018-2019 for grades 5^th through 10^th were 44.6% in English Language Arts (ELA) and 45% in math. 

In the 2020-2021 school year, 90% of graduating Seacoast Collegiate High School seniors attained an Associate in Arts degree from Northwest Florida State College in addition to their high school diploma. Seacoast Collegiate High School maintains a high school graduation rate of 100%. Additionally, 51% of graduates qualified for Florida Bright Futures scholarships.

Admissions

Seaside School, Inc. operates as a public charter school and admissions are conducted on an annual basis. Admissions for the next school year open in February and applications are due by the end of March.  The lottery drawing takes place in May for available openings. Currently, Seaside Neighborhood School currently has a waitlist while Seacoast Collegiate High School has select openings for the 2021-2022 school year.

Seaside School, Inc. accepts applications for grades 5^th through 12^th for the 2022-2023 school year starting in February 2022.

Seacoast Collegiate High School will host an open house for interested students on Thursday, December 9^th, 2021. If interested in learning more about admissions or attending upcoming events, please contact Dr. O’Prey at [email protected].

History of Seaside School, Inc.

Founded in 1996, The Seaside School, Inc. was one of the first and is now the oldest operating public charter school in the State of Florida. The original goal was simple – create a school to address the need for better middle school education in Walton County – and it hasn’t stopped since. Seaside School, Inc. currently serves nearly 400 students across three campuses encompassing 5^th through 12^th grades.

“The Seaside Neighborhood School was an attempt to prove that a small school, fully integrated into a neighborhood and a community, could achieve better outcomes and help children mature better than the currently conventional large schools built on land a considerable distance from houses, shops, and cultural centers. Such a school could draw on cultural and community resources and engage citizens in the education of its students,” said Seaside Founders Robert and Daryl Davis, along with their son, Micah.

The vision of Seaside School, Inc. is to maintain a small school with faculty knowledgeable to each student’s abilities and challenges. The staff offers increased support to each student to meet challenges, cultivate talents and increase skills to perform successfully in all academic areas.

The Seaside School, Inc. Board of Directors seeks to sustain an educational community where an emphasis on academic excellence is complemented by the concern for each learner’s personal growth and intellectual, aesthetic, and psychological development.

To learn more, Seaside School, Inc. or follow them on Facebook.