Seaside Neighborhood School, Santa Rosa Beach FL

Original Research by School Decision on Seaside Neighborhood School

Seaside Neighborhood School sits at a distinctive address, physically located within the Seaside planned community along Florida's Emerald Coast in Santa Rosa Beach, a coastal stretch in Walton County that has drawn steady population growth and commands some of the most expensive real estate in the Florida Panhandle. It is a charter school serving grades five through twelve, which means it spans late elementary through high school graduation under one roof. Families choosing it are choosing a school that is neither their default assignment nor a magnet pull; enrollment is a deliberate act.

The academic picture here is genuinely strong across the board. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency for students in the tested middle grades runs from the low-to-mid eighties at one grade up to the high nineties at others, with most grades clustered near the top end of what Florida schools report. ELA proficiency follows a similar arc, with most grades in the upper eighties to ninety, though the eighth-grade ELA result sits somewhat below that pattern, closer to the mid-seventies. A parent whose student is entering or approaching eighth grade may want to ask the school directly about what shapes that number and what support looks like there. Science scores, tested at fifth and eighth grade, are both very strong, running in the high eighties to low nineties. Across subjects, the school's tested results are well above what most Florida schools post.

The enrollment is small relative to what a traditional K-12 or 5-12 school might carry. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students and very small numbers of Black and Native American students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is very low, suggesting a peer environment that skews toward economically advantaged households, which tracks with the surrounding community. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the data provided, so a parent of a student with special learning needs would want to ask the school directly about how those students are served.

Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, holding, or sliding from prior years. The comparison framework provided here did not yield a meaningful peer comparison, because Walton County has only one district and the cohort was too small for the index to apply. What can be said plainly is that the proficiency results, read against what Florida publicly reports statewide, are well above the middle of the state distribution.

Program information was not included in the data provided, so details about AP offerings, dual enrollment, or extracurricular options are a gap worth filling directly with the school. On the district side, the publicly reported expansion of Seacoast Collegiate High School and a Northwest Florida State College satellite campus in the Santa Rosa Beach area is worth noting for families thinking about dual-enrollment pathways. That expansion, which reportedly opened additional buildings in 2025 and is expected to double capacity over a multi-year buildout, would be relevant to any Walton County high schooler, including those enrolled at Seaside Neighborhood School, though the specific access a Seaside student has to that program is something families should confirm.

The housing market surrounding the school is, by any measure, expensive. Typical home values in the relevant zip code run dramatically above both the Florida and national medians, and they have pulled back modestly over the past year. Rents are also high. The area's growth has put pressure on infrastructure, and a countywide sales-tax measure aimed at roads and related capacity failed at the ballot box in 2022, leaving some of those pressures unresolved. The district does carry a voter-approved operating millage that funds programs, technology, and staffing, though it requires periodic renewal. Families relocating for this school should expect a housing market that narrows options quickly at lower price points.

Graduation rate data was not reported in the data provided, which is a gap worth asking the school about given that it serves through twelfth grade.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 60 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

867 schools plotted. 183 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 67% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median

Grade 698%

School 98% · District 77% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 68% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median

Grade 898%

School 98% · District 76% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 65% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median

Grade 687%

School 87% · District 68% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median

Grade 790%

School 90% · District 67% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 61% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median

Science

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 67% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median

Grade 889%

School 89% · District 65% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median

This schoolWALTON, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.