So you are thinking of moving to Palm Beach County; should you take school districts into consideration? The answer is definitely yes! Even if you do not have children, a good school district will increase your property value and make your property more desirable. Our agents at R&R Realty are knowledgeable on the schools in the Palm Beach County School District and can help you navigate finding not only the right home for you, but making sure to also find the right school for your children. We can create property searches based on school boundaries and easily email them to you. To find homes in a particular school district, clink on the link below:
Northern Palm Beach County School District Homes for Sale
Back in the day, unless you went to a private school, you just went to the local school with all the neighborhood kids, end of story. Although this is still sometimes the case, it is often more complicated with several other options and can certainly be overwhelming for parents. Greatly simplifying it, you have 3 options. The first option is a private school. There are many excellent private schools in Palm Beach County and although you do not have to live in any particularly city or county to attend, life is more convenient if you have a shorter commute. The second option is a Charter School. There are several Charter Options in Palm Beach County some are better than others. There are many reviews online and touring the school is always a great option. The third option is not only the most common, but also the most complicated option, public schools. Palm Beach County has many excellent public schools. The most obvious way of navigating the public school system is by looking at the school boundaries (which can and do change) and seeing what school a particular property is districted for and then look at the ranking of the school and online reviews. If you are not happy with your districted school, you have two options. First, you can apply to another public school if the school permits it and has room. A list of public schools that take out of boundary students is on the Palm Beach School District website. There is a window of time to do this each year. Another option is to apply to a choice program. There are a few schools that only consist of choice programs and everyone needs to apply and be accepted. For example Bak Middle School of the Arts is a choice school. A student has to reside in Palm Beach County to apply. Some of these schools like Bak Middle School, The Conservatory Middle School and AW Dreyfoos High School; you have to apply and audition for a particular art area and be accepted to attend. Other schools like Suncoast High School do have an application process and prerequisites, but no auditions. There are also community schools like Independence Middle School, Palm Beach Gardens High School, Dwyer High School and Jupiter High School that have choice programs that you can apply to within the scope of the general school. If you live in those school boundaries you have two choices. First you can just attend the school or you can apply for a choice program within the school. For example, your child can apply to a variety of programs within the school. These programs vary from school to school but examples include medical, law, education, culinary, environmental sciences and theater. Some of the programs are only for students assigned to that school district, while others are open for any student that lives in the county. Sometimes there are prerequisites like GPA or completion of certain completed courses. So how do you find out what option is best for your child? There is an Educational Fair held every autumn, usually at the South Florida Fairground. A multitude of schools have tables set up where you can get brochures and ask questions. Many of the schools also have open houses or tours, again usually in the fall. Choice applications are due in January every year, except for a few schools like Bak, the Conservatory School and Dreyfoos. Their applications are due in December to give them time to schedule auditions. Usually, acceptance into a program is determined by the end of March.
