Pasco County Schools

Pasco County Schools, also known as District School Board of Pasco County, is a school district that serves all of Pasco County in the U.S. state of Florida. It was founded in 1887 and has 106 schools as of the 2025-2026 school year. History Early history The Pasco County School Board was founded in 1887, which is also the year the county was founded. Augustine H. Ravesies was appointed the first superintendent of schools. At the time, there were 37 teachers in the county. In 1896, it was reported that Pasco had 1123 students, 48 teachers, and 42 schools. The first high school in western Pasco County was Gulf High School in 1922. Segregations in schools Originally schools in Pasco were segregated. The first black school in Pasco is debated, but most agree it was the Hernando Colored School, located near what is now Trilby, though the exact location is not known. The name suggests that it was created before Pasco County was, but was integrated into Pasco County Schools. Segregation in schools ended when in 1967, the school board ended its battle with the Departments of Health, Education, and Welfare, finally ending segregation. Controversies Disability services settlement In March 2024, Pasco County Schools reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations of discrimination against students with disabilities. The district was accused of failing to provide adequate educational plans and support, leading to suspensions, flawed threat assessments, and law enforcement referrals for disability-related behaviors. Under the agreement, the district has agreed to implement major reforms as part of the settlement. Student data sharing and privacy violations In 2020, the Tampa Bay Times published "Targeted," an investigative series that won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. The investigation revealed that the school district had been sharing sensitive student data with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for its "Intelligence-Led Policing" program. The shared data included student grades, attendance records, and disciplinary history, which deputies used to identify "at-risk" youth for potential future criminal behavior. The program drew criticism from legal experts and parents, who were unaware that their children's educational records were being used for law enforcement profiling. In response to the controversy, the district revised its data-sharing agreements in 2021 to limit the Sheriff's access to student information. The U.S. Department of Education also launched an investigation into whether the district's practices violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Schools As of the 2025–2026 school year, there are 106 schools in the system. There are 54 elementary schools, 22 middle schools, 18 high schools, 1 college, 1 virtual school, and 18 charter schools. The county has seen explosive growth in student enrollment, increasing from 46,458 students in the 1999–2000 year to 65,126 in the 2007–2008 year, an increase of 18,668 or 40.2%. The projected enrollment for the 2007–2008 was 64,674, so the actual enrollment was 452 students over the projection. The enrollment for the 2023–2024 school year was 85,855 students with a total of 4,966 teachers. It is the 48th largest school district in the United States compared to more than 14,000 schools, and the 10th largest school district in Florida out of 67 schools. High schools The list of Pasco County high schools: Middle schools The list of Pasco County middle schools: Elementary schools The list of Pasco County elementary schools: Colleges Fred. K. Marchman Technical College – New Port Richey Charter schools The list of Pasco County charter schools: Magnet schools Angeline Academy of Innovation – Land O' Lakes Centennial Elementary School – Dade City James M. Marlowe Elementary School – New Port Richey Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation – Wesley Chapel Kirkland Ranch (K–8) – Wesley Chapel Sanders Memorial Elementary School – Land O' Lakes Wendell Krinn Technical High School – New Port Richey Virtual schools Pasco County is known for having virtual schools like the K–12 online school called Pasco eSchool, which was founded in 2009 as a part of Pasco County Schools. The school is a Pasco County district franchise of Florida Virtual School. Pasco eSchool teaches 1,480 full-time students yearly, and is the third largest virtual school by number of student enrollment in Florida. The virtual school is funded by Pasco County Schools. Formerly Pasco County Schools had a virtual learning option called MySchool online. The option was offered during 2020–2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though was removed the following school year. School Board The School Board members are elected on a non-partisan basis. Superintendents Since November 2024, former Florida State senator John Legg has been the Pasco County Schools superintendent of schools. Legg stated he would allow teachers to grade student homework in the county since early 2025, which is a change from the previous school board. References External links Official website History of Education in Pasco County, Florida MY Pasco Parent Portal My Pasco Connect