School Choice / Overview (2024)

Important Dates

The Choice application for the 2025-2026 school year will be available November 4, 2024 at www.mypbchoiceapp.com.

The 2025-2026 Choice Booklet will be released on October 22, 2024

Join us for the annual Showcase of Schools that will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at The South Florida Fairgrounds from 4 - 8 pm.

School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) Choice Programs reflect the diversity of the District and are designed to attract all Palm Beach County students. Families with students entering pre-kindergarten through grade 12 can choose from an array of Choice and Career and Technical Education (CTE) theme-based curricula offerings at the elementary, middle, and high school levels that provide innovative and rigorous academic instruction by specially trained teachers.

Choice and In-House Programs have been established in elementary, middle, and high schools to provide an opportunity for students to engage in intensive study in specific areas. Choice and In-House programs offer the opportunity for students to discover their talents and explore their interests while focusing on academic rigor. These programs provide students with a pathway to post-secondary education and careers.

Programs include the K–12 Arts continuum, K–12 International Baccalaureate continuum, K–12 Dual Language continuum, elementary and secondary Cambridge Academy programs, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs at all levels, and elementary Montessori, STEAM (STEM + Arts), Environmental and Animal Science, and Health and Wellness programs.

Students may participate in an “in-house” program if the program is only being offered to students whose attendance boundary is zoned for the school (“In-House program”), or they may choose to attend a program that is only offered at a school outside of their regular attendance boundary (Choice program).

All Choice and Career Academy programs require a Choice application and selection through a Choice lottery process. These programs are available to all students, regardless of zoning. If the student is applying for a Choice program that is offered at his/her zoned school, the zoned school program may be listed as the first choice.

Applications will be available on November 1, 2023 for the 2024-2025 school year.

December 8, 2023
Deadline to submit an application for arts programs requiring an audition.

January 26, 2024 - Deadline
Application deadline for other Choice Programs. Submit applications at: palmbeachschoolsfl.scriborder.com

View the options available for ALL Palm Beach County students:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs
To better prepare students for the 21st century and to help them graduate college and career ready, the School District of Palm Beach County has developed CTE Programs encompassing Rigorous Programs of Study, to give students the academic preparation, direction, and career-related knowledge to help them plan studies that are in line with their interests, abilities, and career goals.

Choice and In-House Programs
Families with students entering pre-kindergarten through grade 12 have the opportunity to choose from an array of Choice and Career and Technical Education (CTE) theme-based curricula offerings at the elementary, middle, and high school levels that provide innovative and rigorous academic instruction by specially trained teachers.

Controlled Open Enrollment (COE)
COE Offers parents and legal guardians the opportunity for their child to apply for and attend a school outside their regular attendance zone

Family Empowerment Scholarship Program
The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) Program was established during the 2019 Legislative Session to enhance Florida’s menu of education options. It provides children whose families have limited financial resources with the opportunity to attend the school that best meets their needs and enables them to reach their academic goals. The FES Program is exclusively administered by theAAA Scholarship FoundationandStep Up For Students.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs
The School District of Palm Beach County offers all four of the K-12 IB Continuum programs: Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme, and Career Programme. IB programs develop the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills needed to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world and prepare students for postsecondary success in college and career.

Opportunity Scholarship Program
The Opportunity Scholarship Program was created as a Florida school choice option in 1999. As originally implemented, the program offered students who attended or who were assigned to attend failing public schools the option to choose a higher-performing public school or a participating private school. The Florida Department of Education’s Differentiated Accountability (DA) Plan is a school improvement system that ensures all students receive the support necessary to reach high academic standards.

Reassignment
Parents/legal guardians experiencing hardships, if the student attends his/her assigned school may request a student reassignment to a school outside the student’s attendance area as outlined in the District policy.

Choice Policy and Procedures Manual

The purpose of School BoardPolicy 5.016and theChoice Procedures Manualis to set forth the District's Choice schools and programs that may be available to this School District's eligible students and the process and procedures for applying to these programs.