Admissions FAQ’s

SPCHS campuses are located on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus of St. Petersburg College (SPC) at 6605 5th Ave N. in St. Petersburg, at SPC’s Tarpon Springs Campus at 600 Klosterman Road in Tarpon Springs and in the Downtown St. Petersburg campus at 2nd Ave. North.

Students who are entering grade 9, 10 or grade 11 may enroll.

• Applicant must be currently enrolled in grade 9 or 10 in a Pinellas County public high school, a valid private high school, or home education program within the Pinellas County School district.
• The student and parent must attend one of the SPCHS Information Sessions.
• A completed application must be submitted to be entered into the lottery. Late applications will be accepted, but will not be in the initial lottery.

Admission Requirements:

For Students Entering Grade 9

• Minimum unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher

For students entering Grade 10

• Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Successfully passed or currently enrolled in Algebra I
• Minimum College Placement Test scores of:
  • 92 in Reading
  • 92 in Writing
  • 100 in Mathematics
• Private or home education students who have not had the opportunity to take End of Course (EOC) exam(s) will take them with SPCHS

For Students Entering Grade 11

• Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Minimum College Placement Test scores of:
  • 106 in Reading
  • 103 in Writing
  • 114 in Mathematics
• Successfully passed Algebra I and the End of Course exam
• Successfully passed Geometry by the end of grade 10 and participated in the End of Course exam
• Private or home education students who have not had the opportunity to take End of Course exam(s) will take them with SPCHS

Yes, students may participate in any of the art, music, dance, and/or drama opportunities that SPC has to offer. Students who are invited to attend SPCHS are encouraged to speak to Mrs. Betts regarding the process for an audition. You may reach Mrs. Betts at 727-341-4285.

To ensure the safety and wellness of our students, we are not offering shadowing this year; however, students and parents are welcome to schedule a tour of the school.  To schedule a tour please contact:

• STEM/Downtown – Remus Balmer bulmer.remus@spcollege.edu
• St. Pete/Gibbs – Zanetta Robinson robinson.zanetta@spcollege.edu
• Tarpon Springs – Stephanie Pawlowicz pawlowicz.stephanie@spcollege.edu

Enrollment will be 240 students in grades 9-12 at the Downtown Campus and 240 students in grades 10-12 at the Tarpon and Gibbs campus. If more applications are received than openings available, a random computerized lottery will be conducted at grades 9, 10 and 11.

The application period is November 6, 2023 through January 26, 2024. Late applications will be accepted; however, they will not be considered until the wait list is exhausted.

Students who meet the entrance criteria and whose completed application packet is received by the SPCHS office at the campus to which they are applying on or before 3:30 p.m. on January 26, 2024 will be entered into the lottery. The computer-generated lottery will create a list of students who will be invited to attend SPCHS as well as a wait list. As an opening occurs, students will be invited to attend SPCHS in the order they appear on the wait list.

Students will receive either an invitation letter or a notification of waitlist status by March 2024. Students will continue to be invited into SPCHS over the summer until June 30, 2024 as openings occur. Students are not invited into SPCHS during the school year and the wait list is dissolved once school begins.

Yes, applications will be taken each year for open positions in grade levels 10 and 11.

Students who are not selected for entrance into SPCHS for the sophomore year must re-apply for grade 11; however, they do not need to attend a second Informational Session.

Students entering in grades 9-10 are placed in the Pre-Collegiate Program. Their classes will be taught by certified high school teachers on the SPC campus to which they are applying (either St. Petersburg/Gibbs or Tarpon Springs). Their course of study will be based on course progressions initiated during their ninth-grade year to ensure they will meet Florida high school graduation requirements. Students may also take one or two college courses which will be taught by college faculty.

Students who have passed the college placement test (CPT/PERT), have an unweighted grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, have met all entrance criteria, and who are entering grade 11 are placed in the Collegiate Program. Collegiate-status students will take college courses, with regular college students, on the campus to which they have applied (St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, Downtown Campus or the Tarpon Springs Campus). College course selection will be guided by the Academic Advisor and/or Guidance Counselor to ensure students meet Florida high school graduation requirements and course requirements for the Associate’s degree from St. Petersburg College.

Juniors and Seniors:

• Juniors and seniors follow their college class schedule, attend a mandatory weekly seminar, and spend 2.5 hours in the SPCHS Learning Lab each week studying.
• Students follow the SPC calendar and usually attend class four days per week; Monday through Thursday.

Freshman and Sophomores:

• Sophomores are in high school classes between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. five days per week.
• They follow the SPCHS calendar which is aligned to the SPC calendar.

• In the Pre-Collegiate Program, students will be taught high school courses by state certified high school teachers and take one or two college courses taught by college faculty.
• In the Collegiate Program, students will be taught by college faculty with a doctorate or master’s degree.

SPCHS facilities are located on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus of St. Petersburg College at 6605 5th Ave N. in St. Petersburg, Downtown St. Petersburg Campus 244 Second Ave. N, St. Petersburg and at the Tarpon Springs Campus at 600 Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs. At the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, the office and high school classrooms are located on the second floor of the Student Services building.  On the Tarpon Springs Campus, the office and high school classrooms are located in the Michael and Evelyn Bilirakis College of Education Building. At the Downtown Campus Classrooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

All SPCHS students are also considered college students so their SPC ID will provide free transportation seven days per week on PSTA buses. Parents must sign a Bus Transportation Form prior to students riding a PSTA bus.

Yes, students who meet the requirements for graduation will participate in the SPCHS Graduation Ceremony and the SPC Commencement Exercises.