Seaside Neighborhood School: Crown Jewel of Seaside, Florida

The Seaside Neighborhood School is a beautiful, small school on the beach that commands attention from locals and tourists alike. The big question is, "How do I get my kids in there?" Though the school has everything (and sometimes more) than a private school has to offer, it is a charter school and the only way your kids get in is by chance (a lottery) and a lot of luck! At Seaside Neighborhood School, what you see is not only what you get, but what you don't see is even better.

The Setting

Seaside, Florida is a luxury resort town between Destin and Panama City in the Panhandle of Florida. Most of the Seaside homes are high end rentals or second "vacation" homes for inhabitants. As a vacation resort, the lawns are immaculate; the brick streets are lined with trees, and of course, the breathtaking coast showing off the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Perhaps the setting is best described as some say, "the new urbania" which is used as a model for new development all over the United States. Funny that it is called new, because it seems more like a throwback to the old town square. With the post office in the town center, the amphitheater offering culture and the circle of elite shops and eateries, the clean little town is hard to beat. But honestly, the Seaside School, which sits just behind the town square on a massive green lawn, is even harder to beat, as the town pride.

In Attendance

Seaside Neighborhood School is for Middle School age students, only hosting roughly 90 kids in 6th, 7th and 8th grade in total. Parents in the area enter their children in a spring lottery and in a session opened to the public, the children's names are drawn one by one. The first 30 names drawn in sixth grade win a space (siblings can be grandfathered, as well as staff children or children of board members.) Those in the school in sixth grade with automatically be assured in 7th and 8th. So, it can become difficult to get in if you do not make the 6th grade draft. Draws for 7th and 8th grade do occur in this session, but there are less vacancies due to returning students. The remaining children will be put on a waiting list based on the draw number of their name and until accepted (if ever) usually go to public school.

The Atmosphere

With such small class sizes and small staff, the students become quite united - and the staff is like family. They work together on everything and contribute so much to the community of Seaside. Special projects and performances are constantly underway and the students feel a sense of community not many have the luxury of ever experiencing at that age, outside of private school.

Students do work study during the year, actually working community jobs with mentors in many fields, and relating their learning back to class concepts. They travel in instances larger populations may not allow. They have use of the resort pool and bike trails for gym class as well as full access to the beach for lifegurading classes and true sand volleyball. The students help plant Sea Oats in the spring and maintain the Seaside Garden - which locals and visitors can pick from for fresh herbs. Recently, the kids took herbs they grew to the Seaside Pizzeria and the chefs there made lunch for all using the food they grew. Normally, the kids would eat under large white catering-style tents on the vast lawn of their school.

The Cost

Though there is a small "periodic fee" (which is by semester) for students, most funds are raised by enormous fundraisers throughout the year, such as Marathons, where they will partner with the resort town to bring in the masses. The last Marathon brought in over 7000 people. Of course, those who love to run, love the scenic trek!

Seaside Neighborhood School is the communities pride for so many reasons. The opportunities abound, the teachers are full of diverse talents and life, and the scene is like something out of a movie. If you saw it, no doubt, you would be asking, "How do I get my kids in there?" too!