Version 4.6 Date: December 31, 2025
Pupils will be considered for admission without regard to ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability or achievement level.
Priority will be given to children of current and past Seaside School Board members, employees, currently enrolled siblings, and pupils that are residents of Walton County, the school district in which the Seaside Neighborhood School (SNS) Seacoast Collegiate High School (SCHS) is located.
Admissions for the 2015-2016 School Year
Students will be considered for admissions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, achievement level, or physical disability, Section 1000.05, Florida Statutes. Students with disabilities and students served in English for Speakers of Other Languages programs shall have an equal opportunity of being selected for enrollment, Section 1002.33(10)(f), Florida Statutes.
The school will be open to any student who is a resident of Walton County, entering grades five (5) through twelve (12) in a Walton County school, and any student who is a resident of Walton County and has obtained a waiver from Walton County to attend a school outside of Walton County (such as Destin). Students that live in Walton County but go to a private school in a neighboring (contiguous) county are also eligible for admission, but must show further proof that they are a Walton County resident.
Students that live outside of Walton County may apply for the lottery, but will go to the bottom of the list (if any) and remain there until all vacancies by county residents on the list have been filled.
Qualifying Criteria
Grades Served: Students must be entering middle school (grades 5-8) or high school (grades 9-12) for the upcoming school year. Students entering grades 11 and 12 must meet NWFSC entrance requirements:
- Students applying for grades 11 and 12 are required to have a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 3.00 for all credits earned by the close of the first semester (fall 2014). The unweighted GPA of 3.00 must be maintained through the second semester (spring of 2015) for enrollment purposes.
- PERT Scores: Must have been taken within the last two years.
- Math: 114 for Intermediate Math or 124 for College Algebra
- Reading: 106
Official transcript from currently enrolled high school for the 2014 fall semester and courses currently enrolled for the 2015 spring semester, and PERT scores from NWFSC must be submitted with the application.
Walton County Resident
The applying student and their parent or legal guardian must currently be a Walton County resident (a person currently residing in the aforementioned county). Students living outside of Walton County may still register, but will go to the bottom of the list (if any) and remain there until all vacancies by county residents/students on the list have been filled.
Walton County Student
The applying student must currently be enrolled in a Walton County school or homeschool, or covered in an inter-district agreement with Walton County to a school outside of Walton County. Proof of current enrollment in a Walton County school or homeschool must be submitted with the Lottery Registration form. Students that live in Walton County but go to a private school in a neighboring county are also eligible for admission, but must show further proof that they are a Walton County resident.
Withdrawal from Seaside School (SNS or SCHS)
Students who have withdrawn from the school will not be given preferential treatment if they choose to return. They will need to go through the standard admission process along with other applicants. Students who have withdrawn from the school due to medical reasons will be readmitted when a doctor has determined it is appropriate. A letter from the doctor noting the period of the excused medical absence as well as medical clearance for returning to class is required. If a student’s illness prevents them from returning to school in the next school year, the parent or guardian must contact the school in writing, prior to the start of the school year, requesting the extension of the excused medical absence. If the student has enrolled in another school since withdrawing from school due to illness, the student will not be given preferential treatment if they choose to return. They must reapply for admittance and follow the standard admission procedure.
Capacity
The governing board establishes capacity for each grade, Section 1002.33(10)(a), Florida Statutes. There will be a specified capacity established at the beginning of each admission year. During the admission process, these grade level capacities and total student population will be available for all interested parties. There must be a minimum of thirty-five (35) students in each grade level 6th thru 10th grade. Both schools stay within the Class Size Reduction amendment guidelines which limit the total number of students accordingly.
Preferences
According to Section 1002.33(10)(b), Florida Statutes, allows charter schools to give preference in admission for children of current or past Seaside School Board members, children of employees, and siblings of current Seaside School students. In order for the administration to know how many students with a preference are expecting to attend Seaside School (SNS or SCHS), those students that qualify for a preference must complete an application along with submitting required documentation by the posted deadline date. If there are more preferences than available openings, preferences will be chosen in the following priority order:
-
Child of a Seaside School Board Member: Children of current or past board members who successfully completed a three-year term, have preference with respect to admissions, regardless of residence location. Children for
whom the board member is the legal guardian are also eligible for this preference. Other relatives are not eligible for this preference. Applicants with the above relationship will be automatically admitted to grade five
if the application along with submitting required documentation by the posted deadline date.If the child is applying for admission in any grade between six through twelve and the application form is submitted by the
lottery deadline date, they will be automatically admitted if there is space in the applicable grade.
If a new board member is elected after the lottery has taken place, the children of the new board member will have priority over those on the waiting list.
If a board member resigns or is asked to leave the Seaside School Board of Directors before their three year term has been completed, it is at the Board of Directors’ discretion as to whether or not their enrolled child or children will be asked to withdraw from Seaside School (SNS or SCHS). -
Children of employees: Children of current Seaside School (SNS or SCHS) employees will automatically be admitted to grade 5 if the application form is submitted by the lottery deadline date. Children for whom the employee
is the legal guardian are also eligible for this preference. Other relatives are not eligible for this preference.
If the child is applying for admission in any grade between six through twelve and the application form is submitted by the lottery deadline date, they will be automatically admitted if there is space in the applicable grade.
If an employee is hired after the lottery, the children of the new employee will have priority over those on the waiting list.
If an employee resigns or is asked to leave, it is at the Principal’s and Board of Directors’ discretion as to whether or not their enrolled child or children will be asked to withdraw from Seaside School (SNS or SCHS).
An eligible employee is defined as one that is salaried or hourly and gets paid directly by Seaside School and reports directly to the school’s administration. Individuals, such as a coach, that are only paid a stipend are not eligible for admittance preference. - Siblings: Applicants who currently have brothers or sisters attending Seaside School (SNS or SCHS) and reside at the same address are automatically admitted to grade five for the following year if the application form is submitted by the lottery deadline date. If the sibling child is applying for any grade between six through twelve and the application form is submitted by the lottery deadline date, they will automatically be admitted if there is space in the applicable grade.
The preference for board members and employees will be considered first and have higher priority. If the applied for grade is already filled, then the student will be put at the beginning of the waiting list for that grade.
If there is more than one student with a sibling preference, their placement on the waiting list will be determined via lottery before the lottery for the rest of the students for that grade.
For a sibling to have preferential treatment, the brother/sister student must currently be enrolled and reside at the same address. If siblings are in the lottery or on the waiting list, and one is admitted, the other will
automatically be admitted if there is space in the applicable grade. If there are two or more siblings that are all applying to grade 5, they will be entered in the lottery separately, and if one is selected for admittance,
the other(s) will automatically be admitted. Should one sibling decline admission or withdraw after admission, this preference no longer applies for the current academic year.
Application Process
Parents or guardians of a child who desire to attend Seaside School are to complete an application and provide required documentation through the online Smart Choice Student Application & Lottery Management System. If the parent or guardian does not have access to a computer or scanner, they may complete the application at either the Seaside or Seacoast campus. The application period will be from February 1 through March 31, 2015.
Lottery Process
On the determined application deadline date, if there are more applications than openings for the upcoming school year, students’ names will be selected through Smart Choice. Names of students entering the lottery will not
be announced the night of the lottery. Parents or guardians will have the opportunity to verify status of their child’s application through an online personal account with a secure username and password.
If a lottery is required, it will be held at a predetermined location on May 7, 2015. The lottery will be conducted through Smart Choice and verified by a Walton County School Board Member or other disinterested third party
as selected by the governing board, a governing board member, and administrator from one or both campuses.
Students will be selected in the following order:
- Children of Seaside School Board Members
- Children of current employees
- Children of current siblings
- Walton County Residents
- Out of Walton County Residents
After all available opening have been filled, applicants will continue to be randomly selected and placed in numerical order by grade level, thus creating the grades’ upcoming school year waiting list.
Notification of Admission and/or Wait List Status
- The lottery, if required as indicated in the student registration process, is open to the public, applicants and/or their representatives. The random drawing will be conducted through Smart Choice Student Application & Lottery Management System.
- Upon completion of the random lottery drawing the parent or guardian of the child applying to attend Seaside School will be notified of his/her enrollment status via email.
- Updates on enrollment status will only occur via email through Smart Choice. The parent or guardian of the student applying to attend Seaside School is responsible to update contact information through the Smart Choice website.
If the child of a parent or guardian does not have access to the online application software, they may call the school and schedule an appointment to complete the application process using a school computer.
Waiting List
The waiting list created through the random lottery will be for the upcoming school year. This newly created waiting list will stay in effect throughout the upcoming school year. No admissions will be accepted past the first
day of the last nine-week grading period for the current school year. The existing waiting list that has been in effect throughout the current year is null and void on the first day of the last nine-week period. All students
on the existing waiting list, that have not been admitted via vacancies in the current school year through the first day of the last nine week school period, must reapply for the next school year through the standard
admission process.
Note that when a child withdraws from school, a child that is on the waiting list from the same grade is not always admitted. There are times when a child on the waiting list from a different grade will be
admitted to replace the child that is leaving the school. This will depend on the current numbers for each grade at the time and is at the discretion of the school principal.
In the event that all the children on the waiting list for a particular grade have been either admitted to the school or contacted and have turned down admittance, a secondary waiting list will be maintained. Students that
wish to be admitted to the school but did not enter the lottery are eligible to be added to this secondary waiting list, on a first come, first serve basis. If space becomes available, the first student on this list will be
called.
Please Note
If your child was not admitted to the school per the existing waiting list by the 1st day of the last nine week grading period, you MUST repeat the admissions process, and have your child’s paperwork submitted on the posted deadline date, to be included in the lottery process for the upcoming school year.
If a scenario that isn’t covered by the current rules arises, it will be handled at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
