Latest reporting from the Education desk.
Education
Pinellas MycroSchool, a charter alternative high school open since 2012, is closing by the end of October after telling the district it cannot make payroll. The mid-semester shutdown leaves 80 students searching for new schools.
Education
Pinellas County Schools holds its North County magnet and fundamental fair at Dunedin High School on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with two more fairs later in October and applications for the 2027-28 school year opening Jan. 5, 2027.
Education
Pinellas County Schools ranked fifth among 68 Florida public school districts in Niche's 2027 rankings, earning an A-minus grade as the largest district in the top five by enrollment.
Education
Pinellas County Schools holds community meetings this week at campuses slated for closure, including Kings Highway Elementary in Clearwater on Wednesday, before the school board's final vote Oct. 13.
Education
Tarpon Springs families have proposed merging Tarpon Elementary and Sunset Hills Elementary as an alternative to the district's plan to close two local schools and create a 1,000-student K-8 campus, with the school board vote set for Oct. 13.
Education
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick's proposal to close seven Pinellas County schools targets Bear Creek Elementary for closure and would relocate Azalea Elementary into a new K-8 campus by 2028. The school board votes Oct. 13.
Education
Kings Highway Elementary has dropped below 200 students and Clearwater High is running at least 80 percent full as Pinellas County Schools prepares to present its "Planning for Progress" restructuring plan at a Sept. 10 board meeting.
Education
A Largo mother's formal state complaint over her 4-year-old son's lapsed special education services reflects a national trend: written special education complaints jumped 48% in one school year, according to a new survey of 31 states.
Education
Florida's new History of Communism curriculum and a strengthened cursive-writing law take effect in Clearwater-area schools this week, adding more than 100 state-mandated benchmarks to an already crowded course load for Pinellas County students.
Education
With Pinellas County Schools opening Tuesday, Aug. 11, here is the complete 2026-27 calendar of holidays, breaks, hurricane makeup days and the last day of school for families at Clearwater High, Countryside High and area schools.
Education
The Clearwater Public Library System is giving away free backpacks and school supplies at all five branches through Friday, Aug. 7, funded by the Clearwater Library Foundation, with specific pickup rules families should know before Pinellas County schools open Aug. 11.
Education
The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association and Pinellas County Schools reached a health insurance agreement on Aug. 5, setting family-plan premiums at about $475 per paycheck instead of the feared $1,200-per-month hike, while locking in raises of up to nearly $3,000 for veteran teachers just days before the Aug. 11 first day of school.
Education
The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County honored Christine "Grandma" Powell with its third KidsFirst Cooperman-Bogue Award of 2026 for seven years of volunteer literacy work in Pinellas classrooms, where every kindergartner she supported last year mastered letters and sounds.
Education
Pinellas County Schools earned its third consecutive 'A' district rating from the Florida Department of Education on July 1, and Largo High's Chloe H. Schmidt won a National Merit University of Florida Scholarship, as families at Clearwater High, Countryside High, and other district campuses prepare for an August 11 first day of school.
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