FSU PC COLLEGIATE SCHOOL PREPARES FOR 1ST DAY OF 2024-25 CLASSES

The Collegiate School (TCS) at Florida State Panama City will welcome 100 new students when the fall semester begins on Aug. 12, more than doubling the student population to nearly 200 as TCS adds its second cohort of ninth-graders.

TCS opened with 90 students in its inaugural ninth grade cohort in August 2023. By the end of that first school year, TCS received an “A” ranking from the state Department of Education.

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

TCS is a tuition-free charter school that also functions as an independent school district with an emphasis on dual enrollment college classes and technical career certifications. Any child living in Bay County can apply to attend TCS, though a preference is given to those from military families.

“As we continue to grow, we will continue to have increasing needs for space to accommodate the great demand we have for entrance into our school,” Whitaker said. “We will also continue to add electives and clubs, which are perhaps not seen as challenges but as opportunities for our students.”

Located at 2440 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.

Last year, TCS followed a modified block schedule. This year, the school will run on a full block schedule, which gives students intensive periods with a single subject. Many will earn extra credits as a result, and each of them will have the chance to earn an associate’s degree from FSU PC by the time they graduate from high school.

“I’m honored to be at this school,” said rising sophomore Ethan Toole “We have amazing teachers, cool classes -- they’re really tough though. I’m really shocked by all the things we get done.”

For more information about the Collegiate High School, visit the website, tcs.fsu.edu.