SEASIDE — High school students in Walton County soon might have another educational option.
Seaside Neighborhood School is considering adding grades 10, 11 and 12,according to Cathy Brubaker, director of program development for the charter school.
“Each year our parents always ask us to add a high school, but we’ve never felt like we could do it financially,” she said. “(But now) it’s all moving quickly and positively. I feel really good about it.”
The school now has sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades.
If all goes according to plan, Seaside would open a collegiate high school in August with grades nine and 10. Eleventh and 12th grades would be added the following two years, she said.
Assuming the Seaside School Board gives the concept the green light, Northwest Florida State College tentatively has agreed to lease classrooms at its South Walton campus for the new school.
Northwest Florida State President Ty Handy said he has been speaking with Seaside School officials since last fall about the proposal, and a draft lease agreement exists.
Right now, the college is using only about five classrooms during the day at its campus on U.S. Highway 331 just north of U.S. Highway 98, so leasing some others to Seaside doesn’t look to be a big issue. Most college classes are held at the campus in the evening, Tandy said.
When all is said and done, each grade level would have 40 students, Brubaker said.
Ideally, freshmen and sophomores will be able to take advanced placement courses offered at nearby South Walton High School. Juniors and seniors would be provided transportation to Northwest Florida State’s main campus in Niceville to take college courses.
Brubaker said Seaside School also hopes to forge relationships with other universities and colleges across Florida to provide special summer educational programs.
“We feel like we could really do something different where we have everybody working together,” Brubaker said. “I’m just really excited about the possibilities.”
Students now enrolled at Seaside seem equally enthusiastic, she said.
In a recent survey, more than 90 percent of the school’s 133 students said they would attend the proposed high school.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for kids who are focused” academically, Brubaker said. “(And) I think there’s going to be more and more needs for educational opportunities in Walton (County).”
In addition to the high school grades, Seaside also is considering adding kindergarten through fifth grades.
Those grades would be established at another campus in about two years, and would keep the small class sizes the school is known for, Brubaker said.
Seaside Neighborhood School opened in 1996 and operated out of trailers with donated supplies and furniture. The existing school was built after residents opted to give it money Seaside received from the movie “The Truman Show” being filmed there.
The Seaside School Board is set to vote Thursday on whether or not to go forward with the additional grades, Brubaker said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.