A different approach to public education is taking shape in Indian River County this school year as district leaders expand school choice and reorganize several campuses. The Freshman Learning Center has been converted into Vero Beach Middle School. Moore says the freshman center was expensive to operate and did not provide students with high-quality educational programs. He says moving ninth-graders back to traditional high schools will also give them earlier access to more academic opportunities.
From a student's perspective, moving ninth-graders back allows them access to programming that was only being offered at the high school. Students should not have to wait until they are in 10th grade to take some of those courses, Moore said. District leaders say the two high schools, Sebastian River High School and Vero Beach High School, have enough capacity to accommodate incoming freshmen. That means all incoming ninth-graders this school year will attend either Sebastian River High School or Vero Beach High School.
Families in the district have more flexibility in where their children attend school. Parents can choose to enroll their children at schools across the district, rather than being limited to the school assigned to their neighborhood. The district has also converted several campuses into K-8 schools and operates five charter schools. The changes are part of the district's broader effort to give families more educational options while restructuring how its schools serve students.