Parents and guardians residing anywhere in the state of Florida are now able to apply for their children to attend a public school outside their regular attendance zone through the Controlled Open Enrollment (COE) process, more commonly known as School Choice. Sarasota County Schools invites parents and guardians from any school district in the state of Florida whose child is not subject to a current expulsion or suspension to apply for a 2019-20 School Choice assignment to a public school identified as having available space capacity. Applications for School Choice will be accepted from Monday, February 4, through Monday, March 4, 2019.

The district’s school choice process requires that an online application be completed. Parents will be notified of choice assignments in April. COE assignments will be determined by a random lottery process, rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. Available seats at some of the schools that are open to School Choice may be limited to certain grade levels if those schools are near their enrollment capacity for those grades. Students living in Sarasota County who are applying for an assignment through the School Choice process will not be displaced by the applicants living outside the county The complete list of schools open to School Choice is at the website below.

Sarasota County School Choice Program