Education

Florida is a member of the Interstate Compact that addresses military-connected children in transition. Florida is a “school choice” state, meaning that military parents may send their children to any school, not necessarily in their neighborhood. Parents MUST register their children at the boundary/ home school, however; at the time of registration, they can submit a Parent Choice Transfer requesting another school. School reassignments are usually granted if the choice school is not at 100% capacity. Parents who choose a school re-assignment must provide transportation for their children. If your children attend the designated boundary/home school, the district provides transportation for students living two or more miles from the school. Please note that bussing options are limited and may not be available for your child to use to get to the school you select. For more information, visit https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/ .

USAG Miami/U.S. SOUTHCOM is housed in Doral. Families may choose to live/send their children to school in Doral, Broward, or Miami Dade County. You can find a school's performance grade as measured by student performance on standardized testing at each school district website.

Elementary schools in Florida serve Kindergarten to fifth grade. Age eligibility for kindergarten: five (5) years old by September 1 of the school year. There are K-8 Centers serving children from Kindergarten through 8th Grade, Middle Schools from 6th to 8th Grade and High Schools, serving 9th Grade and higher.

Florida offers free Pre-K through the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program. This program provides free prekindergarten education for all 4-year-olds in Florida, regardless of family income. VPK is designed to prepare children for kindergarten by enhancing their pre-reading, pre-math, language, and social skills. Visit https://www.fldoe.org/schools/early-learning/parents/vpk-parents.stml for more information and to register.

In Florida you will find regular public schools, magnet schools, and charter schools. Charter schools are public schools run similar to private schools. Military-connected children may have preference in magnet school programs as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. For magnet schools, follow application deadline instructions and indicate that your child is a military dependent (active-duty orders are required as proof.) Selection is based on a lottery system. Miami-Dade Public School System accommodates military families in transition by allowing them to submit applications after the application deadline. Not all charter schools do not offer military preference. Charter schools use a lottery system; each school has its own application deadline, usually during the spring. If you are interested in applying for magnet or charter schools, please keep a copy of the application for your records with the date and name of school personnel receiving the application. For more information on Magnet or Charter schools and registration details, please contact your School Liaison Officer at 305-437-2633.

In order to register your child in any of these schools, you will need to provide name and age verification, proof of address and health and immunization records. Active military personnel have a 30-day waiver to provide the school with a child's immunization records. Florida requires that school physicals be conducted by a doctor in Florida. The required state forms are available at the doctor's office. Bring a copy of your child's immunization record and the doctor will transcribe the information onto the Florida form.

Children attend schools in either Broward or Miami Dade County Public Schools. These counties offer magnet schools, charter schools, and home schooling options. For more information, please contact the School Liaison Officer at 305-437-2633.

The School Liaison Officer provides School Transition Support Services, Partnerships in Education initiatives, Installation/School Communication, Home School Linkages and Post Secondary Preparation Opportunities. For more information, please contact the School Liaison Officer at 305-437-2633.

Current Agreements:

• Miami Dade County Public Schools
• Broward County Public Schools
• https://www.browardschools.com
• Free Online K-12 Tutor
• English Tutorial
• Spanish Tutorial

If your child intends to go to college in the state of Florida, you may opt to pay into their tuition before they graduate from high school through Florida's Prepaid College Program. This plan was designed to help parents beat the rising costs of tuition by locking in tuition at today's prices. To qualify, some residency requirements exist.

You can choose to pay for this plan in either a lump sum or installments. The plan is financially guaranteed by the State of Florida. All funds paid into the program are invested in a trust fund, much like a pension plan. You can enter your child in the program anytime from birth through 11th grade. Pending acceptance, your child may attend any one of Florida's four-year universities or 27 community colleges.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your School Liaison Officer at 305-437-2633.