Sarasota County Schools (2024)

I. The School Board shall establish residential attendance zones for each school based upon the Superintendent's recommendation. All students, unless otherwise provided by School Board rule or authorized by the School Board’s order, shall attend the school serving the student’s residential attendance zone. Each residential attendance zone shall be established to achieve maximum utilization of all School Board facilities and to consider the time and distance of travel for students. The instructional capacity for each school will be set yearly after the recommendation by the Superintendent or his/her designee. A student’s residence is the residence of his/her parent(s), legal guardian, legal custodian, or other such person as defined by any order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction of the state of Florida and by Florida Statutes. Any student residing in the School District shall be assigned to a school for attendance by the Superintendent or designee based upon the Controlled School Choice Program.

A. If a student has been expelled from another school district, the Superintendent or designee may recommend to the School Board either that the final order of expulsion be waived, and the student admitted to the District or that the final order of expulsion be honored, and the student not admitted to the District.

B. A student may be permitted to attend a school in another residential attendance zone pursuant to the Controlled Open Enrollment Policy (Board Policy 5.23) or under the provisions for School Reassignment. Student reassignments shall be granted based on the requested non- districted school having physical and programmatic available space.

C. A student eighteen year of age or older who has interrupted his or her education and who subsequently desires to enter Sarasota County Public Schools shall enroll either in the adult high school or another alternative program. The student may not enroll in a regular high school. In extenuating circ*mstances, a principal may recommend an exception to this policy to the Executive Director of Secondary Schools.

D. Students may not be enrolled in a regular high school for more than 10 semesters, unless the principal approves the enrollment beyond 10 semesters. The principal will consider the reason the student wants to continue high school, the educational progress to date, and the commitment to education. Semesters begin when the student first enrolls in ninth grade in any public or private school.

E. Students may not enroll in a regular high school if they cannot earn the number of required credits to graduate by their 20th birthday, unless enrollment is approved by the principal.

F. For students with disabilities who have not graduated with a standard diploma, the district will provide services until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22 years old.

G. The Superintendent or designee is authorized to assign a student to any program or school as deemed to be in the best interest of the student or School District.

II. The purpose of this policy shall be to establish the School Board’s expectations when it becomes necessary to reorganize the School District’s school attendance boundary lines. The changing of school attendance boundary lines may be necessary due to growth, change or shift in the distribution of student population, the construction of a new school, or any other occurrence which takes place in the community which makes it necessary to redistribute the student enrollment population to assure the most appropriate housing of students within the district’s operating school buildings.

The School Board remains committed to the establishment and operation of school attendance boundaries which assure availability of program, staff and facilities to meet student educational needs and to assure wise and prudent use of staff, facilities and finances. In so doing, however, it may be necessary, from time to time, to call for the redrawing of attendance boundary lines of specific school attendance areas, or even system-wide, to capture the most efficient educational and economical benefit to students, parents, taxpayers and the community.

On the occasion when such action is deemed necessary, the School Board and the Administration will be guided by the following standards of expectation.

A. No later than the first Board meeting in December of each school year, the Superintendent shall determine whether there is a need for any new or revised attendance boundaries based on the facility being over-crowded or under-utilized or because the District is opening a new school.

B. Where the Superintendent has identified the need for a boundary change, the District shall form a Boundary Advisory Committee to assist in the development of proposed changes. The Office of Planning will organize and work directly with this group. The Boundary Advisory Committee shall be formed with the following membership:

  1. Director of Planning,

  2. Principal of each affected school,

  3. School Advisory Committee (“SAC”) Chair* from each school potentially affected by the boundary changes,

  4. Four (4) parent representatives from different geographic areas from each school (selected jointly by the SAC Chair and principal), and

  5. A teacher from each school selected jointly by school administration and the Sarasota Classified/Teacher Association (SCTA).
    *If the SAC chair is a teacher, this will be the teacher representative; if the chair is a parent, this will represent one parent member from that school.

C. When drawing attendance boundaries, the School Board will use the following guidelines whenever possible:

  1. Attendance areas will be designed to incorporate entire neighborhoods, keeping neighboring children together and contributing to an efficient, effective and economic transportation configuration.

  2. Redistricting shall strive to assure that schools are left with a capacity that allows for growth from new neighborhoods.

  3. Every attempt will be made to move the minimum number of students necessary to accomplish the goal, and to try to minimize the number of families affected by redistricting.

  4. Every effort will be made to not require the moving of students who were moved due to previous redistricting. However, in the event such students must be relocated, they shall, upon request, be given priority consideration for out of designated attendance area placement.

  5. When attendance boundaries are changed, elementary and secondary students with one (1) year remaining in their present school will have the option of remaining at that school. This shall not automatically entitle the student to district transportation. When considering attendance boundary adjustments, the Board by its own discretion may extend the option to other students with more than one (1) year remaining.

  6. The Boundary Advisory Committee in order to create fair and equitable attendance zones and enrollments may develop additional criteria.

NEFEC
Revised: 06/27/22

Sarasota County Schools (2024)

FAQs

How big is Sarasota County Schools? ›

Overview of Sarasota County Schools

Sarasota County Schools contains 62 schools and 43,896 students.

How many high schools are there in Sarasota County? ›

Sarasota County Schools contains 15 high schools.

How many employees are in Sarasota County Schools? ›

Sarasota County Schools
Sarasota County School District
Staff2,458.25 (on an FTE basis)
Student–teacher ratio15.26
Other information
Websitesarasotacountyschools.net
14 more rows

What grade is Sarasota County Schools? ›

ABOUT SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOLS

Sarasota County Schools has achieved an outstanding “A grade” from the Florida Department of Education since the rankings began in 2004.

How do Sarasota schools rank? ›

Sarasota County Schools Rankings
  • National. Best School Districts in America. 688 of 10,932. Most Diverse School Districts in America. 777 of 11,549.
  • Florida. Best School Districts in Florida. 1 of 68. Best Places to Teach in Florida. 5 of 68. Districts with the Best Teachers in Florida. 17 of 68.

Does Sarasota County have good schools? ›

We are one of two Florida school districts to consistently earn an A-grade every year since 2004.

What is the #1 high school in Sarasota? ›

Pine View School

#1 Best Public High Schools in Sarasota County.

What is the largest public high school in Florida? ›

Largest Public High Schools in Florida
  • Digital Academy of Florida. Online School• ...
  • Florida Connections Academy. Online School• ...
  • Cypress Bay High School. Broward County Public Schools, FL• ...
  • Sponsored Catholic School. Eastside Catholic School. ...
  • John A. ...
  • Seminole High School. ...
  • Florida Virtual High School. ...
  • Lake Nona High School.

What is the biggest high school in South Florida? ›

Cypress Bay High School
Grades9–12
Enrollment4,852 (2021–22)
Student to teacher ratio23.86
CampusSuburban
17 more rows

Who is the largest employer in Sarasota County? ›

Sarasota's Top Employers

In Sarasota, however, with more than 4,400 employees, the local school district constitutes the largest number of employees by a wide margin. Again, however, the statistics are skewed because the school district encompasses the entire county.

Does Sarasota County have a teacher shortage? ›

According to Florida Press Secretary Bryan Griffin, statewide teacher vacancies are approximately 2.4% of positions. Superintendent of Sarasota County Schools Terry Connor said on Aug. 22 that 2% of teaching positions within the district remained unfilled.

What rank is Sarasota High School in Florida? ›

Overview of Sarasota High School

Sarasota High School is ranked 371st within Florida. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Sarasota High School is 15%. The total minority enrollment is 43%, and 43% of students are economically disadvantaged.

What are the best schools in Sarasota County? ›

The Best Schools in the Sarasota Area
  • Lakeview Elementary School.
  • Sarasota School of Arts/Sciences.
  • Tatum Ridge Elementary School.
  • Gulf Gate Elementary School.
  • Suncoast Polytechnical High School.
  • Brookside Middle School.
  • Fruitville Elementary School.
  • Sarasota Suncoast Academy.

What is the number 1 school county in Florida? ›

Sarasota County Schools

#1 Best School Districts in Florida.

How old is Sarasota High School? ›

Sarasota High School
School typePublic High School
Opened1913, 111 years ago
StatusOpen
School boardSarasota County S.B.
18 more rows

What are the 5 largest school districts in Florida? ›

Largest School Districts in Florida
  • Miami-Dade. Miami, FL• ...
  • Broward County Public Schools. Fort Lauderdale, FL• ...
  • Hillsborough. Tampa, FL• ...
  • Sponsored Catholic School. St. ...
  • Orange County Public Schools. Orlando, FL• ...
  • Palm Beach County School District. West Palm Beach, FL• ...
  • Duval County Public Schools. Jacksonville, FL• ...
  • Polk.

How many kids are in Sarasota County Schools? ›

Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of the Gulf Coast in Sarasota, Florida, Sarasota County Schools (SCS) boasts a vibrant educational landscape, catering to over 46,500 students across 56 diverse schools, spanning preschool through 12th grade, speaking more than 60 languages.

What is the largest school in Florida? ›

The University of Central Florida is the biggest college in Florida, with over 68,000 students. Seven Florida colleges enrolled over 40,000 students in 2022.

How many students are in Sarasota County? ›

The total number of students is approximately 43,000. Sarasota County School District Vision: The School District of Sarasota County places learning at the center of its activities to enable all learners to lead productive, responsible, and healthful lives.

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