All public schools in Bay County are under the direction of the Bay County School District. As of January 1996, the school system served 27,063 students and is supported by 2276 teachers and support staff. The school year usually begins in late August and ends in early June. School bus service is provided free to all students living more than two miles from their school and in certain other instances. Enrollment requirements are that a child be five years of age by September 1st of the current school year for entry into kindergarten. Legal proof of age must be provided along with a physical exam and a medical statement showing the child's immunizations are current and that the child does not have any contagious or communicable diseases.

A summary of each school is provided below.
For more information go to Bay District Schools' Info Center.

To determine the school assignment for a specific location or address, contact the Superintendent's Office.
You may send your request to:
Superintendent's Office
Bay County Schools
P.O. Drawer 820
Panama City, FL 32401
(904) 872-4100.

Everitt Middle School
The faculty and staff at Everitt Middle School take great pride in the fact that they are able to work on a daily basis with a variety of special programs, as well as their academic core classes. Some of the programs the school specializes in include: EMH, EH, SLD, Gifted, Hearing Impaired, Physically Impaired and Alternative Drop-Out Prevention Classes. Interdisciplinary Instructional units for curriculum and block scheduling have been the main focus of the 59 teachers at Everitt Middle School. Everitt's motto, "Where Pride in Self is Developed," is best exemplified with their yearly fund raiser for the American Heart Association, which benefits the entire community. Everitt is a recepient of the William Alexander School of Merit Award for Quality Education for Emerging Adolescents, Everitt has 950 students in grades 6,7 and 8, and has a non-instructional support staff of 35. Everitt's principal is David Creel.

Jinks Middle School
Jinks Middle School blends a regionally recognized academic program with a wide and varied selection of extracurricular activities. Mr. James McCalister serves as principal with a faculty of 52 teachers and 30 support staff, serving a student enrollment of 880. Always striving to improve, Jinks Middle School has an active school accountability program. This school-wide goal is targeted to improve student self-motivation. Mr. McCalister strongly encourages all parents to become active participants in their child's education and members of the Jinks Family. Through this improvement goal, it is the desire of all administrators, faculty, and staff for each student to become successful.

Merritt Brown Middle School
Merritt Brown Middle School is one of Bay County's newest middle schools and currently holds the distinction of being the largest. The school serves a student body from several communities such as Bayou George, Fountain, Hiland Park, Southport, Youngstown and downtown Panama City. Merritt Brown is a beautiful facility with business partners, volunteers, and mentors who contribute enormous amounts of time and effort to our school. The curriculum is designed around the developmental characteristics of emerging adolescent youths. It allows for students' exposure to a variety of learning interactions. Merritt Brown is a technology rich school featuring a computer networked facility, a popular ITV studio with daily programs, and TeleParent system to keep parents informed about students' scholastic life and responsibilities. Teaching teams are given latitude to develop their own creative teaching styles, models and/or strategies. They are encouraged to design instructional activities which are technology interactive and allow students the maximum opportunity to develop relationships with peers, faculty, staff and outside resources.

Mowat Middle School
Mowat Middle School has a student enrollment of 998 supported by 55 teachers and 27 support personnel. Principal Joe Bullock and staff focus on improving communications between the school, home, and all departments at the school. They have provided more opportunities for staff to become involved in site-based decision making.

Rosenwald Middle School
Rosenwald Middle School has become a success story. The entire school, including its 950 students, 60 teachers, 22 support staff, and parents, have joined efforts to improve the school. Rosenwald Middle School pairs students with teacher teams, which assists in transition periods and helps develop a family feeling. The staff at Rosenwald Middle School emphasize reading and writing as important basic skills as well as critical thinking skills. Rosenwald has a new Technology facility and the entire school is networked for extensive technology use. Rosenwald has been named a "High Achieving School" in the State and continues to achieve higher and higher goals for the benefit of our students.

Surfside Middle School
Surfside Middle School serves students in grades six through eight with a variety of innovative and challenging programs. The school's goal for the next several years will be to incorporate technology into our instruction. Surfside has written and received two grants equaling about $400,000. This has been used to convert the "shop" to a vocational lab and to wire the school for Internet access. The school has been successful in obtaining several Science Challenge Grants which enable students to use the Gulf of Mexico, which is only a block away. The school has a superior academic and fine arts program. Principal Joel Creel encourages involvement of all students in both academic and athletic competions. He takes great pride in the accomplishments of the school, which have resulted from a cooperative effort of students, the parents, and the community.

Bay High School
Bay High School is Bay County's oldest high school and has maintained a long-standing tradition of excellence since its opening in 1923. A.I.C.E. (Advanced International Certificate of Education), a new international program at Bay High, will begin its second year during the 1996-97 school year. Also offered are a wide variety of advanced placement courses as well as alternative education classes for "at risk" students. Special Exceptional Student Education programs are available for the intellectually gifted, specific learning disabilities, educable mentally handicapped, visually impaired, and emotionally handicapped students. Students are able to earn college credit through an extensive dual-enrollment program with Gulf Coast Community College. Furthermore, Bay High is very proud of its new Hospitality Program designed to meet the needs of those students who will advance their education at a vocational institute or community college rather than a 4-year university. Bay High School's Red Pride is evident through years of academic achievement and extracurricular accomplishments. The school has 2,000 students, an instructional staff of 124, and a support staff of 42. Bay's principal is Fred Goodwin.

A. Crawford Mosley High School
A. Crawford Mosley High School students are active and involved in a vigorous and expanding program, taught by an instructional staff of 140 educators. Mosley has a large and very successful AP (Advanced Placement) and Dual Enrollment membership program. Mosley guidance counselors and AP coordinator maintain strong lines of communication with Gulf Coast Community College, other institutions of higher learning, and the National Advanced Placement Program office. Innovative teaching techniques are demonstrated in classrooms throughout the school, e.g., team teaching of ninth grade Gifted English and social studies classes. A strong School Advisory Council and Parent Teacher Organization provide an opportunity for parental involvement. Mosley's principal is Bill Husfelt.

Rutherford High School
Ernest Spiva, Principal, and his 130 faculty members are continuing the initiatives that earned them the status of a "Florida Break-the-Mold School." Over $5.2 million in scholarships was earned by the Senior Class of 1996, including no less than five military academy appointments from a class of just over 300. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is located at Rutherford, and the second class of IB graduates is now headed for colleges and universities worldwide. The RAM football team was Florida's most recruited high school team this past year. Twenty-one hundred students strongly foster their RAMPRIDE at school and in the community. Over 50 educational support staff members cooperate with faculty to make these programs successful: Teachers as Advisors, Tyndall Air Force Base Compact and Satellite School, Dropout Prevention, Hearing Impaired, Physically Impaired, Leadership Class, Dual Enrollment classes with Gulf Coast Community College, Drama, Graphic Arts and Personal Education Programs (PEP) in which all students select a high school major." Innovative scheduling and award-winning parent volunteer programs have added to Rutherford's successful grant-seeking activities, which have earned over a million dollars in extra funds for the RAMS.

Haney Technical Center
3016 Highway 77, Panama City, Florida 32405
Haney Technical Center has offered specialized training for local business and industry for many years. The Center also offers supplemental vocational training for individuals who wish to retain or upgrade in their present or new occupation in over 35 program areas. An expanded volunteer program, new opportunities for staff to return to business and industry for updates and collaboration, and new student recognitions have all been outcomes of the Center's school wide improvement plans. Currently the student count at Haney Technical Center is 1200. These students are served by 91 full and part-time teachers, and are given professional support by 43 non-instructional staff members. Financial assistance and job placement services are available. The Center operates both day and evening sessions.

Gulf Coast Community College
5230 Highway 98, Panama City, Florida 32405
(904) 769-1551
Gulf Coast Community College is known for its distinguished academic and occupational programs, its vigorous student activities, its friendly atmosphere and its accent on student success. The low cost of this co-educational institution, the high quality of academics, and beautiful location, make this a desirable choice for many students. Tuition for in-state students is approximately $38 a semester hour, while out-of-state tuition is approximately $144 per semester hour. GCCC offers Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees as well as certificates. Students may choose from over 55 college-transfer areas of study, and approximately 40 occupational programs. The college provides state-of-the-art training in computer-integrated manufacturing and computer-aided drafting and design. A Culinary Management program is also available to students interested in becoming professional chefs or restaurant managers. The excellence for GCCC's academic programs is evidenced by the high GPA's of Gulf Coast students who transfer to state universities. Also, most of the occupational programs have 100% job placement rates for their graduates. Gulf Coast offers a number of merit-based and need-based scholarships, as well as work-study and co-operative education opportunities. Because of the number of GCCC students that work, the college provides early morning, daytime, evening and weekend classes as well as television and radio courses for students with non-traditional schedules.

Florida State University
Panama City Campus, 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City, Florida 32405
(904) 872-4750
The tradition of academic excellence for which Florida State University is known extends well beyond Tallahassee, Florida, to campuses world wide. Perhaps one of the most beautiful locations is the Panama City campus, which overlooks North Bay and is just minutes from the world's most beautiful beaches. The relaxed atmosphere and stimulating academic programs provide an ideal setting for intellectual growth and development. The upper division campus offers nine undergraduate and fourteen graduate degree programs which provide an excellent opportunity to graduating sophomores of local community colleges as well as returning students throughout the Northwest Florida region. The campus currently has a student capacity of 3,000, and new degree programs are being added on a continual basis. FSU's academic excellence is complemented by a full range of services which are offered to students attending the Panama City campus. One of these is the Center for Educational and Career Planning. The Center provides students and alumni with information to enable them to effectively plan toward their goals, and successfully make the transition from college to career. The Center also provides services such as job opening announcements, cooperative education, on-campus interviews, and internship placement. Career preference testing is available, and a library of reference material and publications are currently at students' disposal. Several on-campus organizations offer a number of need-based and merit-based scholarships, and FSU provides information to those who may be in need of financial assistance through the Financial Aid Office.

Shaw Adult Center
The Shaw Adult Center school improvement plan for next year focuses on improving the image of the adult education program and the main school campus. Currently, there are 600 students enrolled either full-time or part-time and served by 14 full-time and 24 part-time instructional staff members. The Shaw staff seek to encourage high school dropouts to pursue further education in an effort to become more productive citizens. Four programs are offered by the 11 site locations throughout Bay County: Basic literacy, a regular high school diploma, GED preparation, and English as a Second Language instruction.

A. D. Harris School
Principal Anita Goodman of A.D. Harris High School explains that students enroll there by choice. It is the district's fourth high school, but its focus is serving the at risk student. There are 16 teachers and 8 support staff who work diligently to develop a Performance Based Diploma Program which is self-paced using a computer based instructional program. This school has received from Education Commission Castor an award of excellence for its business partnership with IBM for the Awesome Program. Serving at risk students and enabling them to become successful, productive citizens is the focus of this staff.

Margaret K. Lewis Exceptional Student Center
Principal Judy Riera of the MKL Center has worked with her staff to develop a school-wide plan for a functional curriculum to include community based instruction and mainstreaming activities for integrating non-handicapped students and teachers into programs. This special center serves 150 students and employs classroom teachers, PT, OT, communication specialists and classroom paraprofessionals. The school serves children ages 3 to 21 years who have moderate, severe, and profound disabilities. Students are actively involved in Special Olympics and compete at local, state and national levels.

St. Andrew School
St. Andrew School is a public elementary school serving as a special center for Pre-K through fifth grade children who carry the educational label of "Severely Emotionally Disturbed." According to Principal Patti Fowler, there are sixteen classroom teachers, sixteen paraprofessionals, two consulting teachers, three special area teachers (art, music, p.e.) and a librarian who also serves as a technology resource. St. Andrew School serves approximately 130 students with the Levels System, a behavior management program which also incorporates social skills. St. Andrew School is the oldest in the district. Since 1850, there has been a school building in the general area of the present building. Currently, a committee is working to obtain historical data to complete the application process to have the current structure placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and to apply for funding to restore the building to its original condition.

Bay Christian Academy K(5) - 12

Charlie Fowler Christian School K(4) - 12

Covenant Christian School K(2) - 12

Episcopal Grade School K(3) - 6

Good Shepherd Lutheran K(2) - 6

Panama City Christian K(5) - 12

St. John's Catholic K(4) - 8

The Rock K(2) - 12

NOTE: This information is provided as a public service by ERA Neubauer Real Estate, Inc. Although the information provided herein is deemed to be from authoritative sources, and much of the data is the direct result of interviews with instructional staff or school principals, ERA Neubauer Real Estate, Inc. assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.