Pasco County Schools adopted a new approach this year for its school choice program.
Now, the district has separate time frames for submission of secondary and elementary school choice applications.
Also, all school choice options including International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, STEM, Collegiate High School and Wendell Krinn Technical High School have been combined into one time frame for secondary schools.
And, the school choice options for elementary schools, including International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge and STEAM also have been combined into one time frame.
The application window already has opened for choice applications for middle and high school students in Pasco County Schools, with a deadline of Dec. 14 for those applications. The parent acceptance period for those students is Feb. 5 through Feb. 15.
The choice application period for elementary school students will be Jan. 8 through Jan. 18. The parent acceptance period for those students will be Feb. 20 through March 1.
To help families understand the new process and their options, the district had two choice expos.
Parents streamed into an expo on Nov. 29 at Wesley Chapel High School, accompanied by children of all ages to check out their school choice options.
At various locations on campus, parents and their children could attend presentations on school choice programs, and in the school’s gym, they could stop by tables to talk to school representatives about programs being offered at their school.
A similar expo was held on Nov. 26 at J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey.
The east-side and west-side events, both billed as the Pasco Pathways Expo, were intended to be a convenient way to learn about the district’s programs and the application process.
Information about various programs available, how to make application and answers to frequently asked questions also are available on the district’s website, Pasco.k12.fl.us. (Look for the rotating banner at the top of the landing page labeled Pasco Pathways Innovative Programs and School Choice, and click on the Learn More link below it).
Published December 12, 2018
