Edison Collegiate High - Collier Receives Unanimous Approval from Collier County School Board
Oct 25, 2010
NAPLES, FL – The Edison Collegiate High School - Collier took another step closer to reality today when the Collier County School Board unanimously approved its application at its October meeting held at Immokalee High School. Earlier this week, the Collier County Public Schools’ Charter School Review Committee recommended approval of Edison’s application to the full board.
“This approval solidifies the groundwork for another strong partnership between Edison State College and the Collier County School District,” said Dr. Jeffery Allbritten, President, Edison State College Collier Campus. “We look forward to working with the school district to create new educational opportunities for students in Collier County.”
The next steps, said Allbritten, are the development of the curriculum for the high school, hiring a principal and building the school.
A partnership with Jackson Laboratory, if the project comes to Collier County, would add further benefits for students.
“This will provide an amazing opportunity for students in Collier County to study and interact with some of the preeminent researchers working on the very frontiers of scientific discovery,” said Allbritten, who added that the current planning is to locate the collegiate school on the grounds of the biomedical village in eastern Collier County.
The collegiate school is STEM-(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focused with a four-year curriculum. In addition to their high school diploma, students would also have the opportunity to simultaneously earn an associate degree.
The proposed Edison Collegiate High School – Collier will be funded by the State of Florida and open under a charter issued by the Collier County School Board. Edison State College Trustees would establish policies and provide oversight for school operations.
“This is an exciting, new educational chapter for Collier County students. We hope to draw a diverse population through an open enrollment process,” said Allbritten.
Planned for a fall 2013 opening, the school will accept 100 ninth grade students. By the fourth year, the school is targeted to have 400 students in grades 9-12. The Collier school would be the third for Edison State College, which has successfully launched charter schools in Charlotte and Lee counties.
“We have demonstrated our success with the collegiate high schools we have opened in Charlotte County two years ago, and this fall, in Lee County. Our Charlotte school recently ranked third in the state in FCAT reading scores,” said Erin Harrel, PhD, Dean, School of Education and Charter Schools, Edison State College. The Charlotte school currently has 200 students in grades 9-10, while the Lee school has 100 ninth grade students.
The Edison State College Collier Campus has an annual enrollment of over 4,000 students. Opened in 1992, the 80-acre campus is located off Collier Boulevard at 7007 Lely Cultural Parkway, three miles north of Tamiami Trail East.
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Celebrating nearly 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most established, accessible and affordable institution of higher education. Edison State serves more than 20,000 students yearly in five counties and through the Edison Online virtual campus.
Last Updated: May 28, 2020
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