APPLICATIONS OPEN NOV. 1 FOR THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL AT FSU PANAMA CITY

The Collegiate School at Florida State University Panama City will open its student application period on Nov. 1 for school year 2025-26. Rated an “A” school by the Florida Department of Education in its inaugural year, TCS plans to continue growing and will serve students in grades 9-11 beginning next fall.

A tuition-free developmental laboratory school that operates as its own school district, TCS opened in 2023 with about 100 ninth grade students. Another 125 were added by opening day of the 2024-25 academic year. Half of openings are reserved for the children of military-affiliated families, but all students are welcome to apply.

To apply online, go to TCS.FSU.edu and click on “Apply Now.”

TCS offers a rigorous curriculum unique in Bay County that focuses on dual enrollment classes that earn college credits at FSU Panama City, as well as career technical certifications.

“Opening a high school for the first year was indeed a great accomplishment, but for our school to be ranked as one of the top in the state was an achievement we only dreamed possible,” said Director Debbi Whitaker. “In the first year, we had 75 industry certifications, 60 students who earned Spanish 1 college credit and 38 who earned Spanish 2 credits. We also counted over 1,200 volunteer hours for our kids.”

Located at 2430 St. Andrews Blvd. in Panama City, TCS 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 damages to the state from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grant will be funded over six years.