Education

The Tampa Bay area offers a wealth of public and private education opportunities and options from Head Start programs to MBAs and doctorates.
ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE
AND HIGH SCHOOLS
Hillsborough County Public School District
1202 E. Palm Ave.
Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 273-7075
http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us.  
The third largest school district in the state and the eighth largest in the country serves 142 elementary, 45 middle and 27 high schools with 15,803 certified teachers/staff and 193,374 students. Schools are assigned based on the student's home address, so check the Student Handbook on the district's website for registration information.

The district also offers career and technical education programs for specialized training that can lead to high-wage, high-skill jobs and post-secondary education. The home-schooled program, for example, is based on sequentially progressive student instruction directed by a parent. Another program involves magnet schools with theme-based, technology rich programs offered by specially trained teachers in smaller classes. Families with students in kindergarten through 11th grade can also apply for as many as three non-magnet schools or career and technical education programs on a space-available basis. An independent board oversees the charter schools.

Out of School Time
(813) 744-8941
http://host.mysdhc.org
This before- and after-school program at 100 elementary and 26 middle schools provides learning activities for students in grades K through 8, as well as snacks and field trips. The mission of HOST is "... to provide out-of-school-time programs to empower students to grow and develop in a safe, caring and educationally enriching environment."

Other Important Numbers
Student Planning
and Placement (813) 272-4667
Student Records (813) 840-7052
Choice Helpline (813) 272-4692
Community and Parent Relations (813) 272-4091

Pinellas County School Board District
531 Beltrees St.
Dunedin, FL 33770 (727) 738-6483
http://www.pinellas.k12.fl.us
The seventh-largest district in Florida and the 25th largest in the United States serves 141 elementary, middle, high and specialty schools with 12,823 staff and teachers and 104,000 students. And the school board levies its own millage to purchase textbooks, pay teachers and maintain classrooms and other facilities. The board also administers the new school Choice Program, which allows parents to determine where their children will attend class. The Pinellas County School Board's website offers a great deal of information about student expectations, detailed descriptions of school programs and a host of other information.

Other important PCSBD information includes:
Student Assignment
Only students entering kindergarten, sixth or ninth grades will be assigned to their zoned school. All other students will attend a school closest to their home on a space-available basis.

Magnet Programs (K/1-12)
These programs offer a wide range of classes with very specialized curricula, with transportation provided by the school district at no cost.

Fundamental Schools (K-8)
These family-oriented schools feature a structured environment, an updated "back-to-basics" approach and joint parent-teacher-student commitment. This approach includes a focus on student self-responsibility and discipline, daily homework, a strict dress code and mandatory conferences and monthly parent meetings.

Parents must transport their children to the seven elementary and middle fundamental schools, except for Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School and Osceola High School.

Career Academy
These four-year programs blend a student's required academic courses with the career technical program of the academy. The programs prepare students for:
• National/industry certifications
• PTEC, two-year college or university
• Entry into their chosen career
• Bright Futures/Gold Seal scholarships

A student's GPA is unimportant for admission as long as they maintain a 2.0 GPA while enrolled and behave themselves.

Adult Education (727) 588-6321
Before and After
School Programs (727) 812-4539
English for Speakers of
Other Languages (ESOL) (727) 588-6068
Exceptional Student
Education (ESE) (727) 588-6032
GED Information/Testing (727) 588-6301
Home Education
Information Hotline (727) 588-5199
Student Assignment (727) 588-6210

Special Note
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
http://fcat.fldoe.org
All public school students in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in grades 3 through 11 take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test®. According to the FACT website, the exam consists of mathematics, reading, science and writing, and measures a student's progress toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards benchmarks set by the Florida Department of Education.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS
From Catholic to charter, at least 266 private schools pepper the Tampa Bay area, and you can find most of them listed in this guide's yellow pages or visit http://www.floridasmart.comlocal/counties/education_private.htm 

HIGHER EDUCATION
The area features a number of traditional four-year universities and two-year community colleges, as well as technical and vocational schools, including the University of South Florida, Pasco-Hernando and Hillsborough community colleges and the Pinellas Tech-Ed Center. Many others are listed in this guide's yellow pages.

LIBRARIES
Hillsborough County
Public Library Cooperative
900 N. Ashley Drive
Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 273-3652
http://www.hcplc.org
The cooperative manages 27 libraries, including nine branches in and around Tampa. Services include a Bookmobile, a Born to Read program, computer classes and educational seminars. Visit the cooperative's website for a detailed list of services and programs, library locations and operating hours.

Pinellas County Public Library Cooperative
1330 Cleveland St.
Clearwater, FL 33755 (727) 441-8408
http://www.pplc.us
The cooperative oversees 26 libraries, including eight branches in St. Petersburg and six in Clearwater. Like its partner across the bay, services include a Bookmobile, a Born to Read program, computer classes and educational seminars. Visit the cooperative's website for a detailed list of services and programs, library locations and operating hours.  read more...

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