- December 4, 2025
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Greetings Sarasota County community members,
I would like to start by offering my sincerest thanks to all of our students, families, teachers, and staff members for their hard work and dedication this past school year. Additionally, I would like to extend a special thank you to our volunteers, community partners, and business partners who continue to serve our school communities. Though classes began amidst a busy storm season, we ended the academic year in a place of stability and success. This would not have been possible without all stakeholders banding together to support each other, most importantly our students.
Our traditional public schools help form the foundation of our strong community, and I could not be prouder of the many accomplishments and milestones our school communities achieved this past year. Our academic team has been hard at work pouring over assessment insights to ensure that our instructional team members are dialing in on key points and strategies that continue to propel our students forward.
In January, Sarasota County Schools learned our graduation rate for the 2023-2024 academic year was 92.5%. This is the highest graduation rate in our school district’s history — excluding the 2019-2020 graduation rate, when the Florida Department of Education waived the assessment requirements for graduation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023-2024 results directly correlate to the seemingly indefatigable care, skill, and effort put forth by our teachers. We likely will not know our 2024-2025 graduation rate until next spring, but I am optimistic that our students will continue to excel.
As interest in our community has steadily increased year over year, we have seen more families moving to the county than ever before. The area’s natural amenities and arts and cultural highlights are certainly a huge selling point, but the most compelling factor for a family to relocate is the community’s educational offerings. Sarasota County Schools is excited to be adding a new traditional public school to its award-winning family of campuses this fall.
Skye Ranch School — located at 9501 Lorraine Road, Sarasota, FL 34241, east of I-75 and just south of Clark Road (State Road 72) — will officially open to its first students this August. Though it will eventually serve as a kindergarten through eighth grade campus, Skye Ranch School will initially only be available to incoming kindergarten through rising sixth grade students in the upcoming school year. This state-of-the-art school will offer a robust Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum with a specialized focus on science, mathematics, and robotics.
The following school year (2026-2027) will see the opening of another brand new, traditional public school: Wellen Park High School. Located within the Wellen Park community, this innovative campus will cover 81 acres. Featuring a modern, three-story 325,000-square-foot academic building, Wellen Park High School will also boast a comprehensive athletic complex. A perfect addition to the already active lifestyle within the master-planned Wellen Park community, the school’s athletic amenities will include a synthetic turf football field, a nine-lane running track, multiple courts, and fields for various sports.
Our community will continue to change and grow, but rest assured that Sarasota County Schools will not lose sight of our core vision. We will continue to strive to be the premier education provider that empowers every student to thrive in an ever-changing world through innovation and continuous advancement. We are honored to serve the wonderful children and families of Sarasota County.
I hope that everyone continues to enjoy their summer break. We will see you on Monday, August 11, for the first day of school!
Sincerely,
Terry Connor
Superintendent of Sarasota Schools
