PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A big deadline is just days away for students in the School District of Palm Beach County.
Friday is the deadline to apply for a Choice Academy program. But school district leaders said applications are down by the thousands this year.
District leaders told WPTV that, as of last Friday, one week before the deadline, they had about 23,000 applications for Choice Academy programs.
That's compared to the 30,000 applications the school district had at the same time last year. School leaders worry families could be missing out on taking a big step forward in their child's future.
"I think we are going to come in underneath, but at the same time, you know the kind of year that we’ve had. There’s still many families that are looking and going, I don’t know if I'm ready to commit to that or what that's even going to look like," said Assistant Superintendent Jay Boggess, who oversees the Choice and Innovation Division in the School District of Palm Beach County.
From taking flight, to HVAC hands-on technical training, and even a look inside cybersecurity, the school district has more than 300 Choice Academy programs for students of all grade levels and interests.
Those programs allow students to attend a school outside their designated home school to pursue their passions.
It's not just about college preparation, but career readiness as well. Students can earn industry certifications to set them up for future success.
District leaders don't want to see those opportunities lost.
"I've had so many students say to me, Mr. B, I'm not good at this math thing. But if I get to go do auto tech or culinary or my medical program, I'll do the math. OK, I see the implications, the relevance behind it, and that's really why sometimes they’re wanting to come to our schools, why they are wanting to engage in that Choice program," Boggess said.
Applications for the Choice Academy programs are due on Friday. To apply, click here.
To learn more about the Choice Academy programs in the School District of Palm Beach County, click here.