Looking for info on Lincoln Park academy in Fort Pierce St. Lucie County... (Port St. Lucie: magnet school)

[dalooosh]

Greetings.
I am new to the forums but have browsed periodically for some time. I will be relocating to the Port St. Lucie area from Rockland County NY in June 2008. My son will be starting 9th grade that year and are looking for schhols in the area. I think we will be going the private school route, but have come across Lincoln Park academy in Fort Pirece. Does anyone have any info about this school?? Rumors I have heard are that the school is great, possibly a little too strict, Located in a depressed area, and a long wating list to get in.. Does anyone have any updated info on the private schools in the area also, including Morningside Academy in PSL, or John Carroll Catholic High School in Fort Pierce, or any others in the area. Tuition info, school rep, academics, after school activities, violence, or lack of etc.

Thanks so much for helping the" newbie". Any info will be appriciated
- dalooosh

[pslOldTimer]

Originally Posted by dalooosh

Greetings.
I am new to the forums but have browsed periodically for some time. I will be relocating to the Port St. Lucie area from Rockland County NY in June 2008. My son will be starting 9th grade that year and are looking for schhols in the area. I think we will be going the private school route, but have come across Lincoln Park academy in Fort Pirece. Does anyone have any info about this school?? Rumors I have heard are that the school is great, possibly a little too strict, Located in a depressed area, and a long wating list to get in.. Does anyone have any updated info on the private schools in the area also, including Morningside Academy in PSL, or John Carroll Catholic High School in Fort Pierce, or any others in the area. Tuition info, school rep, academics, after school activities, violence, or lack of etc.

Thanks so much for helping the" newbie". Any info will be appriciated
- dalooosh

Lincoln Park Academy is a part of the St. Lucie County public schools. It was recently rated as 43rd in the nation as part of the Challenge Index 2007. It is a magnet-type school; attendance is, I believe, by lottery. You can contact the school through their web site for more information.

The interesting thing about the school is that there are no specific requirements for acceptance. In the words of their principal, "Most visitors expect that we must have very strict admission requirements in order to achieve our level of excellence. While it is true that our scores on standardized tests, our overall graduation rate, and the high percentage of students on the honor roll, seem to indicate a school with admission requirements, there are no such requirements for general admission. In addition, students are not required to maintain a specific grade point average to remain at Lincoln Park Academy, yet there is an air of excellence. Expectations are high."

The key is that "expectations are high". It is a challenging school with strict discipline. Students whose parents are not involved will likely not survive. However, students do well because of the culture of the school -- since everyone is in the same boat, with high academic expectations, there are no "slackers". The peer pressure is to succeed, and student support each other.

I regret that my kids just missed it. It was started as a academic magnet school in 1985, starting with the lower grades (it accepts students from grade 6 to 12), and gradually added classes until it became a full high school -- just after my kids graduated from Fort Pierce Central. However, my kids did pretty well regardless, both graduating from high academic private colleges, my son from Stetson U, which is considered one of the toughest colleges in the state.

Lincoln Park is located in Fort Pierce in an area that is not exactly wealthy, but that's the point of a magnet school. It's an incredible school that is only matched by a few others in the state of Florida, none in the Treasure Coast. It proves what can be done with ordinary students in public schools if the expectations are high, discipline is strict, students take the school seriously and parents are fully involved. The problems in ordinary public schools are NOT the fault of the schools, but of the parents and students.

A brief word about private schools in St. Lucie County -- my experience is that they tend to be populated with students who can't make it in public schools, often because of discipline problems.