Alligator Staff Writer Alissa Gary is a second-year journalism major who's covering K-12 education for The Alligator. She has previously reported on student government and university administration. Aside from writing, she likes to take care of her plants and play (and usually win) the New York Times sudoku puzzle.
Terwilliger is Alachua County’s first and only public school to offer dual language immersion as a magnet program, with that language being Spanish. The program is in its second year, with its first class of students starting first grade.
Terwilliger es la primera y única escuela pública del condado de Alachua en ofrecer inmersión en los dos idiomas como programa magnético, siendo ese idioma el español. El programa está en su segundo año, con su primer clase de estudiantes empezando primer grado.
Teachers across Alachua County Public Schools and throughout the country spend from hundreds to thousands of dollars each year buying school supplies, class decorations, cleaning supplies and snacks for their students — most of which can’t be purchased using district-allocated supply funds. Among the ACPS teachers who talked to The Alligator, the average amount spent out-of-pocket was between $1,460 and $2,500, with the lowest estimate being $100 and the highest being $10,000.
Emery Gainey will take over the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office beginning Oct. 2, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press release Thursday.
Alachua eSchool has lost seven of its original 13 teachers, leaving it with only six full-time instructors, according to the school directory.
Buchholz High School was ranked No. 54 best high school in Florida and No. 1 in Alachua County Public Schools by US News & World Report for the 2023-2024 school year. The school was also ranked No. 822 out of 17,680 public high schools in the country, putting it in the top 5%.
Residents of mobile and manufactured homes, substandard housing and flood-prone areas are under mandatory evacuation, according to Alachua County information about Hurricane Idalia.
Metcalfe Elementary School will become the 37th site to offer free meals to students on campus after school beginning Sept. 5. The After School Meal Program, or supper program, feeds students during after-school activities.
Alachua County Public Schools will close Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for Tropical Storm Idalia, according to an ACPS press release.
About 1.3% of students in Alachua County were registered for home school from 2021 to 2022. Across Florida, home schooling rates have risen since 2015. The sharpest increase was in 2020 — during the pandemic — with a 35.2% change, according to a Florida Department of Education report.
Third grade teacher Alayna Schwenker sits on a hand-made bench in the library corner of her classroom at Stephen Foster Elementary School Sept. 8, 2023.
The treasure box in Ashley Axson's classroom features pop-its and other fidget toys her students can earn with good behavior and hard work.
Solutions by The State News
