FSU PC’S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL EARNS AN “A” FROM STATE FOR SECOND YEAR

For the second time in its two years of operation, the Collegiate School at Florida State University Panama City has earned an “A” designation from the Florida Department of Education.

"Earning an ‘A’ grade from Florida's DOE is a great indicator of our school's continued success, especially considering we earned an ‘A’ last year, our inaugural year,” said Debbi Whitaker, TCS director. “The ‘A’ in both years shows the commitment from students, families, faculty and staff. We were also the highest ranked school in Bay County, demonstrating TCS to be an excellent educational opportunity for students across our area.”

Grades are based upon student achievement, learning gains, college and career achievements and more. According to a release from the Florida DOE, school grades provide an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school. Parents and the public can use the school grade and its components to understand how well each school is serving its students. Find the details at https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades.

The Collegiate School was designed as a developmental laboratory high school with an emphasis on dual enrollment and career technical education. It opened to its first cohort of 100 ninth graders in August 2023, adding another 100 freshmen in 2024. A tuition-free school, TCS gives preference to children from military families, but accepted students from 16 middle schools across Bay County.

Located at 2430 St. Andrews Blvd. in Panama City, the school was established using a start-up grant of $7.6 million from Triumph Gulf Coast. The nonprofit corporation oversees expenditure of funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damage to the state from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grant will be funded over six years.

The Collegiate School welcomed its second class of rising ninth graders in 2024, and a third freshman cohort will start classes on Aug. 11. At the same time, the original cohort—now in the 11th grade and focusing on dual enrollment courses—will move into renovated facilities on the FSU Panama City campus.