Our Story

The history of Seaside School cannot be told without a short history of the town of Seaside, Florida. It began in 1979 when Robert Davis inherited 80 acres of land from his grandfather near Seagrove located in Walton County, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Robert and his wife Daryl began making plans for the land, drawing on the memories of the happy, idyllic family vacations spent on the Florida coast.

Robert and Daryl created a town on a neighborhood scale designed to foster a sense of community, where the streets were interconnected, walking and biking were encouraged with a discernible center that would be a common gathering place for 475 cottage families and all the necessities — shops, eateries, green space, a post office, and… a school. In the process, they launched an entirely new path of planned development called New Urbanism. Its design has been studied and imitated ever since.

If Seaside had not become famous enough through its design and architecture, it became known to everyone when it was the setting for the hit 1998 movie “The Truman Show.” The producers chose the idyllic coastal town filled with pastel colored beach cottages laced with white picket fences because it was a perfect fit for the movie - a fictional story about a man unknowingly starring in a reality television show in an idyllic beach town.

Improbably, the movie had an instrumental role in the history of Seaside School. Robert Davis donated the land on which the school currently sits and the homeowners of Seaside donated the location fees from the making of the movie to build the school’s first building.  

Just like Robert and Daryl forged a new path in community design by creating Seaside, diligent parents and community members forged a new path in education by creating The Seaside School, Inc., one of Florida’s first public charter schools. 

Dr. Rosemary Williams spear-headed the movement to open a small tuition-free neighborhood school in the town of Seaside for middle school students. The school was built from the vision of individuals who recognize that each student can succeed both academically and socially, even when the middle school years are notoriously seen as a time of self-doubt and low self-esteem. We opened our doors as Seaside Neighborhood School to thirty-six students, two faculty members, and one administrator. The first year, we were housed in two portables on the grounds of Seaside’s Lyceum lawn. Initially, we served 6^th through 8^th grades.

Over the years, Seaside Neighborhood School continued to expand and our students excelled. Ninth grade and then 5^th grade were eventually added. The school grew to occupy three buildings all in Seaside and housed over 170 students. Inevitably, parents expressed a strong desire to add additional high school grade levels so their children could continue their education in the Seaside tradition.

In 2013, Seacoast Collegiate High School was founded to expand the scope and service of the original charter. The ninth grade class from Seaside Neighborhood School became the inaugural freshman class of Seacoast and a grade was added each year until the high school served 9^th through 12^th grades.   

A decision had to be made as to whether this new high school’s educational model would be traditional or go in a different direction. Not surprisingly, a different direction was chosen to meet the academic needs of current and future students and prepare them for an ever-increasing competitive market place for college entrance and professional careers. Through research and community input, an educational partnership was formed between Northwest Florida State College and The Seaside School, Inc. to create a collegiate model high school where students could earn college credits in 11^th and 12th grades and have the opportunity to graduate with an associate college degree in addition to a high school diploma.

The next decision to be made was to select a name for the new high school. This task was given to the students of Seaside Neighborhood School (the future students of the high school). The winning name was Seacoast Collegiate High School. Wanting to tie the two campuses together, the first three letters remained the same - SEA. Together, both campuses, promote and recognize that each student can succeed both academically and socially. 

In 2016, Seacoast graduated its first class of seniors – each receiving a high school diploma and an associate degree from Northwest Florida State College.  The graduating class of 2016 achieved a 100% college acceptance rate. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SEACOAST SCHOOL PROFILE

As the result of dedicated staff, involved parents, and the support of local businesses and community members, Seaside School is one of the top performing schools in the state of Florida, recognized at the national and state levels for academic achievements.

Seaside Neighborhood School received the National 2007 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award by U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. We were selected for this prestigious award because we model excellence in leadership, instruction, curriculum, student achievement, and parental involvement. Additionally, we were among 237 public and 50 private schools in the nation, one of 16 schools in Florida, and one of eight charter schools in the United States to receive this national award.

In 2011, Seaside Neighborhood School was recognized again for its excellence in education by earning a high performing charter school status from the Florida Department of Education. Along with our high performing status, we established the ranking of third among 583 middle schools in the state of Florida.  Since 2011, we continue to be recognized as one of the highest performing middle schools in the state of Florida.

In 2016, Seaside School was honored by the Florida Department of Education as a “pioneer charter school.” In the state of Florida, we are ranked in the top 2% of 3,328 middle schools and in the top 6% of public high schools.

Seacoast Collegiate High School (SCHS) and Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) have joined forces to establish a robust dual enrollment program that graduates more than 50 students annually and a workforce education center at NWFSC's South Walton County campus.

This center will provide all college-level classes required for Walton County high school students to earn their Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees in Walton County from in-person instructors.

Through this strategic partnership, the college and high school will collaborate to create valuable economic, community, and workforce development assets for Walton, Okaloosa, and neighboring Bay counties. By working together, we can ensure that students have access to high-quality educational programs that will prepare them for in-demand, high-paying careers.

The expanded campus is set to open in Fall 2025.