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Deadlines loom. You must pick a school. But how?
This year, you must choose
Welcome to School Search.
Here's how to get started
As emotions churn over choice, School Search offers a helping hand. Parents should remember key deadlines this fall.
Save these dates
Sept. 16: Choice applications available in Family Education and Information Centers. Magnet and fundamental school applications are already available from family centers or the school where you are applying.
Private school listing
The schools in this list serve children from preschool to 12th grade. Schools south of Ulmerton Road in Pinellas County are listed first, followed by schools primarlily north of Ulmerton. The telephone area code is 727 unless noted.
Dressing up schools to attract parents' tastes
In the hopes parents will send students their way, schools have been playing up their "attractors," or standout qualities.
Bus service a first for fundamental schools
Lack of bus service often kept families from applying to the popular schools. The added service is expected to make waiting lists much longer.
Controlled choice: question and answers
What is "controlled choice?"
One zone, many choices
High school students can choose any county school, but aren't guaranteed they'll get in. Getting into a magnet won't be any easier.
Middle schools tout themes to attract students
From atmosphere to after-school activities, schools are promoting their features and trying to stand out from the rest.
Special interests, needs met at charter schools
Four of these public schools in Pinellas are operated by nonprofit organizations.
Education centers guide students toward vocations
Learning centers around the county allow students to concentrate on specific career goals.
Some parents handle the teaching
"Home schooling is not for everyone," says John Lash, Pinellas County's coordinator for home schooling.
Magnet schools offer specialized education
The trick is getting in. Magnet programs are open to students throughout the county, regardless of where they live.
'Choice' schools are big part of new landscape
There are choice schools, magnet schools, fundamental schools and career academies. It's enough to boggle the mind if you don't seek help.
MEGSSS students to get more choice
Parents of students in the gifted math program will be able to choose a school for their child.
4 partnership schools offer another choice
Thanks to local employers, small schools for affiliated children present an alternative to traditional public schools.
Busing not expected to change much
During the first year of the choice plan, walks to bus stops might be longer but bus rides won't be.
Kids with disabilities may opt for vouchers
The students can use state-paid McKay Scholarships to attend private school.
'Career academies' target vocations
Four Pinellas high schools team up with business to guide students toward careers.
Not all waiting lists work the same
Different types of schools have different policies, and some are still being decided.
Elementary parents get more to choose from
Because parents are often loath to put their young children on a bus, schools hope to lure them with focused programs.
How are schools graded?
To use the state's grading system, it's important to understand how those grades are set and what the standards mean.
Different programs are heart of choice
From magnets and fundamentals to vocational classes and themed attractors, the school system offers an array of programs.
Preferences add further intricacies to application
Five preferences established by the School Board weigh heavily in the decisions on who goes where in 2003-04.
Another choice option: private school
Some parents opt to pay tuition to send their children to private schools, lured by some educational philosophy or academic focus they think is not offered in public school.
Requests for special attendance permits are expected to plunge
Since they are part of choice and parents can now pick their schools, the district estimates a falloff as high as 80 percent.
Administrators analyze special education locations, needs
Parents will be able to continue with the same school or can pick another for their child, depending on needs.
Preparation can make shopping for school a cinch
Get the facts. Make a list of your top concerns before touring. Suddenly, the looming choice is easy -- maybe even fun.
Understanding the charts
You don't need a postgraduate degree to read the accompanying charts, but some basic guidelines should help you maximize the information it offers.
For one mother, it's location, location
With magnet and fundamental schools far from her Seminole home, a mother's top choices will make transportation tough.
Choice plan presents challenges for parents
These days parents must do a lot of homework before simply sending the little ones off to the nearest neighborhood school.
Current students have edge in choice plan
Thanks to grandfathering, eligible students have the option of staying put.
After Dec. 13, choices narrow
For children who move, options will include special attendance permits. These students will be assigned after others are placed.
Choice adds confusion to newness
Choice creates a whole new world for parents and students in the school system. But for parents with an oldest child just going into kindergarten the school system was already going to be a whole new world. Now the choice system makes it even more confusing and daunting.
Each decision is a piece of data
Officials rely on the precision of computers to help determine who goes to what school.
A magnet application's journey
The story of what happens to magnet and fundamental school applications is rife with piles of files and random numbers.
Computer program to help schools reduce crowding
Under school choice, a formula will allow the district to determine each school's capacity.
If not Clearwater, then maybe it'll be Palm Harbor, or even Largo
Laura Center thought she'd found a way to assure her son would go to Clearwater High, but now she's not so sure.
After studying options, family waits for lottery
Meg Truluck has investigated the system and wants her daughter to attend Countryside High School. Now, they have to wait.
The calm before the storm
With seven children under one roof, the Lattimer family expects little change in 2003 but is bracing for the possibility of a daunting application process the following year.
More to decision than A, B, C, D, F
School grades are only part of the picture. Educators advise parents to visit schools and Web sites.
Considering schools in the works? Look to principals
Though the administrator isn't the only factor to examine, he or she is a good starting point when programs don't yet exist.
3 new south Pinellas schools to feature special programs
Next year, south Pinellas will have two additional elementary schools and another middle school as part of a settlement with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to end court-ordered busing for desegregation.
Frustration mounts over need to choose at all
For some parents struggling with a lack of information, the pertinent question is: Why can't all the schools be equal?
Didn't get first choice? Other options await
Parents who are not pleased with the choice lottery's outcome still have a few alternatives to consider.
Choosing right school means investing time
Ayakao and Michael Watkins did their homework.
Next step: finding out if you made right choice
Criteria to look for include an administration that listens, conferences with teachers, favorable school rankings and -- most importantly -- an interested student.
Special-needs students await word on programs
The mother of a child with Down's syndrome gets her in one school's program this year but hasn't heard whether the program will be offered next year.
Public schools may offer family more
One family thinks the extracurricular activities at public schools could benefit their children. But they want to ensure their two daughters go to the same school.
Student sets sights on military
ROTC programs -- and music -- are the determining factors for this teenager.
Family finds flexibility in homeschooling
When their grade-schooler lost interest in classes 14 years ago, a family embarked on a voyage of home-based education.
Elementary schools list
The schools in this list serve prekindergarten or kindergarten through fifth grade unless otherwise noted. The "attractors" for each school are reprinted from attractor statements on the schools' brochures.
Middle Schools list
The schools in this list serve sixth through eighth grades unless otherwise noted. The "attractors" for each school are reprinted from attractor statements on the schools' brochures.
High schools list
The schools in this list serve ninth through 12th grades unless otherwise noted. The "attractors" for each school are reprinted from attractor statements on the schools' brochures.
Bus service a first for fundamental schools
Lack of bus service often kept families from applying to the popular schools. The added service is expected to make waiting lists much longer.
A straight answer is their top choice
Even after doing research and talking with school officials, one family is still confused about what school their teenager can attend.
A parent's painful choice
Linda Fasciano puts her career on hold to keep driving her daughter to school. The alternative? Losing out on middle and high schools.
Seeking a 'friendly feeling'
"I'm just out there in the wind," says Tracey Herman, whose 4-year-old son, Sam, will be entering kindergarten next fall.
Elementary schools attendance areas map
Middle and High schools attendance areas map
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