The Collegiate School at Florida State University Panama City, in its first year of operation, has been designated as an “A” school by the Florida Department of Education.

“We are so proud of our students, faculty, staff, board, and families for their commitment to our school and our shared goals and visions,” said Director Debbie Whitaker in a letter to parents announcing the school’s grade. “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.”

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.

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

“In the first year, we had 75 industry certifications, 60 students who earned Spanish 1 college credit and 38 who earned Spanish 2 credits,” Whitaker said. “We also counted over 1,200 volunteer hours for our kids.”

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 damages to the state from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grant will be funded over six years. 

The Collegiate School recently welcomed its second class of rising ninth graders. The new school year is set to begin on Aug. 12.

“As we continue to provide a new direction in education, we realize that our goals and expectations will continue to be set high, but this year proves that the community and culture we have established can meet and even exceed those expectations,” Whitaker said.