individual school profiles
Sarasota School District
This page profiles each school within the District’s three categories:
TRADITIONAL PUBLIC CHARTERS PRIVATE/VOUCHERS
Sarasota's Traditional Public Schools
Traditional public school operations are overseen by the Board of Education elected by the citizens of Sarasota County. The table below presents the school’s grade, key achievement results, and additional profile information for each school managed by the Sarasota School District’s Superintendent and the School Board. The information covers the schoolyear before the Covid pandemic (SY 2019) . That year was chosen because Covid was not a factor in the performance results of the schools. The source of this information is the Florida Department of Education’s website.
Charter Schools in Sarasota County
In Florida, each charter school is overseen by an independent board chosen by the school’s sponsor. The board must include at least one parent of a student enrolled in the school. Florida charter schools operate under similar, yet less restrictive, rules and guidelines than district run schools. Just as with district schools, charter schools in Florida receive state and federal education funds. In addition they are eligible for special “start-up” funding.
The table immediately below presents the school’s grade, key achievement results, and additional profile information for the 13 charter schools in Sarasota County The information covers the schoolyear before the Covid pandemic (SY 2019) . That year was chosen because Covid was not a factor in a school year performance results. The source of this information is the Florida Department of Education’s website.
private / voucher schools in sarasota county
Not all private schools in Florida accept state vouchers as payment towards tuition and fees, but all schools that accept vouchers are private. private schools that accept voucher payments are referred to here as “voucher shools.”
POPS opposes voucher payment to private schools for several reasons:
- Voucher funding is a diversion of education funds from traditional public schools.
- Many voucher schools are sponsored by religious organizations. Voucher payments to religious schools are regarded by POPS as state support of religion, forbidden by Florida’s constitution.
- Voucher schools operate with little oversight from any exterior education authority. The table at the immediate right illustrates this concern.
- Curriculum content is at the discretion of the school sponsors. This has resulted in concerns that the education provided may not be adequate preparation for post-graduate success.
- Teacher certification is optional, eroding faith in instruction quality and classroom management.
- The student testing required for district and charter schools is not required for voucher schools receiving state funding. This creates uncertainty in academic outcomes.
Parents using vouchers to exercise their option of “choice” are likely to make decisions for their children’s education with incomplete information, especially with regard to academic outcomes and facilities.
The table immediately below profiles private schools in Sarasota County. According to the FL/DoE website, there are 51 private schools in the County; 36 accept vouchers.
