Are You Moving to Florida?

The quality of education your child will receive is of paramount concern to you. And where you purchase your new home often depends on the quality of local schools. Education is one of the main reasons that buying a new home is both exciting and stressful.

Hi, my name is Barbara Pepitone. I am a Florida mom with one in high school and one in college. I am also a Realtor^® and mortgage broker. Of course, I would like to help you buy or sell your home but, I would also answer any questions I can to help you with your move.

I sincerely hope that this web site helps you - please let me know.

What Are the Schools Like?

This simple question is easily answered by anyone except a real estate agent.

Have you seen the T.V. commercial that implies that the real estate agent is going to tell you all about the local schools? She may know all about the schools... but, she better not tell you!

Federal, State, and real estate association regulations prohibit any real estate agent from voicing an opinion about whether a neighborhood or school is "good" or "bad". It is incumbent upon you to determine the quality and safety of any prospective school. The best we can do is to show you where to look for answers.

The State of Florida, in good conscience and in cooperation with federal law, has made every effort to provide this information for you.

Florida School Assignment (school zoning)

Students are assigned to schools based, of course, on where they reside within the school district. Areas upon which assignments are made may be referred to as: school zones, school boundaries, etc. Some school districts, for a variety of reasons, allow transfers from one school to another with little or no difficulty ( in some cases, you may need to provide transportation ).

Restrictions on student transfers vary from district to district. Restrictions in some Florida school districts may be severe. See: School Choice

Contact the school board to confirm their online information. Ask if there are any planned changes to your school zone or boundaries. Ask about School Choice.

School Choice

A riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma smothered with pickle sauce.     ...sorry Winston.

There are several State and federal programs regarding school choice such as No Child Left Behind, McKay Scholarships for students with special needs and others, including programs for persistent school violence.

Rules, procedures and determinations as to who qualifies, which districts qualify and even which individual schools qualify, can seem cryptic.

Here is the link to the Florida Department of Education's School Choice home page.

Here is the link to the U.S. Department of Education's School Choice home page.

Also and perhaps most importantly, contact the local school board.

The federal and State efforts to evaluate schools and educators have several names: School Accountability, School Rating, School Grade and School Report Card.

That which we call a rose, by any name, would smell as sweet.

This form provides a shortcut to individual school grades.

Florida School Crime and Violence (via FSIR)

Here is an easy to access, simplified report on school crime and violence.

This Florida School Crime and Violence Report is a component of The Florida School Indicators Report (FSIR). Here you can review crime and violence statistics for the State, county or an individual school. To find crime statistics select "Incidents of Crime and Violence" at Step 4.

More information about FSIR is displayed below.

Here's the link to FSIR.

Here's the link to the Department of Education's Safe and Healthy Schools home page.

Florida School Indicators Report (FSIR)

FSIR is a collection of statistical reports divided into 22 categories - searchable by State, county or individual school.

Absences: Students Absent 21+ Days (%)

Classes Taught by Out-of-Field Teachers (%)

Disabilities (%)

Finance - Operating Costs ($)

Finance - Per Pupil Expenditures

Fl. Comp. Assm. Test (FCAT) - Math/NRT

Fl. Comp. Assm. Test (FCAT) - Math/Sunshine State Standards

Fl. Comp. Assm. Test (FCAT) - Reading/NRT

Fl. Comp. Assm. Test (FCAT) - Reading/Sunshine State Standards

Fl. Comp. Assm. Test (FCAT) - Writing Assessment Sunshine State Standards

Free/Reduced-Price Lunch (%)

Gifted (%)

Incidents of Crime and Violence

Limited English Proficient (%)

School Grades

School Number

School Staff

Stability (%)

Student Membership

Suspensions

Teachers - Advanced Degrees (%)

Teachers - Average Years of Experience

Go to FSIR then follow the simple procedure.

Florida Department of Education

Florida Department of Education
Office of the Commissioner
Turlington Building, Suite 1514
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Here's the link to the Florida Department of Education home page.

Here's the link to the Florida Department of Education contact page.

United States Department of Education

Here's the link to the U.S. Department of Education home page.