Career and Technical Education (CTE) of St. Johns County

Applying to a Program of Interest

Eligible students may apply to a Program of Interest during the application window which opens January 4, 2024, and closes January 31, 2024, at 5pm. For more information, view a schedule of other important Program of Interest dates.

Programs of Interest include High School Career Academies, JROTC, AICE/IB programs, Early College Program, Early Career Program, the St. Johns County Center for the Arts at St. Augustine High School, and the St. Johns County Center for the Arts at Murray Middle School.

Please note: Students applying to AICE/IB programs must also submit teacher recommendations and qualify based on their academic performance.

Also note: Students applying to the St. Johns County Center for the Arts at St. Augustine High School or at Murray Middle School must also audition at the respective schools.

How to Apply

Current Students

Eligible students who are currently enrolled in a St. Johns County public school or St. Johns Virtual School may apply to a Program of Interest by completing the general application in Home Access Center (HAC) during the application window.

New Students

Eligible students who are currently attending a private school, home school, or a virtual school may apply to a Program of Interest in PowerSchool during the application window. You will need to create a PowerSchool account if you do not already have one.

The application window to apply for a Program of Interest for the 2024-2025 school year will open on January 4, 2024 and will close at 5pm on January 31, 2024.

Late Application

Late applications will be available February 1, 2024 through February 6, 2024.

  • Late applications will be available for anyone who did not make the deadline to apply for the lottery.
  • Late applications will not be included in the lottery process but those students will be placed at the end of the lottery waitlists for the desired program in the order received (they are automatically time stamped when submitted).  In instances where there is no waitlist for the desired program, the CTE Department will go ahead and place the student.
  • Late applications are only available for students registered with the St. Johns County School District.
  • To access the late application, a parent/guardian will use the link and sign in with the STUDENT’S “[email protected]” and password.
  • The late application link will close on February 6, 2024, at 5:00pm.  No more late applications will be accepted after that deadline.
  • Late applications will be cross-referenced with on-time applications and will be discarded if there is an indication that the application is being used to extend the number of options allowed per applicant.

Eligibility

Before students apply to a Program of Interest, they must be currently enrolled at a school in the St. Johns County School District or live in St. Johns County and currently be homeschooled, attend a charter or private school, or be in a Virtual School program.  In those cases, the student will need to pre-register for the 2024-25 school year through the St. Johns County School District website at this site.

Student enrollment in an Academy is contingent upon a minimum enrollment in two or more additional school based core academic courses as determined by the school principal.

Pre-registration may be completed between January 4, 2024, 8:00 am – January 31, 2024, 5:00 pm.


Pre-registration FAQ

Students who are not residents of St. Johns County are not eligible to apply during the Program of Interest application window.


First-Time Student Registration

Applies to Students in 5th, 8th, and 9th Grade

If you are a SJCSD 8th or 9th grade student applying to a Program of Interest for the first time please follow the steps below.

Login to Home Access Center (HAC Directions) between January 4, 2024, at 8:00 am through 5:00 pm January 31, 2024, with student’s username and password.

All communications will be via email for the 2024-2025 application year.  All applicants will receive a confirmation email once their application has been submitted and received. Please be sure that your email addresses are up-to-date in the system.  Students can update their email address though Home Access Center (HAC).  Parents and guardians should contact their student’s school to update the parent email address on file.

If you do not receive a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting your application, please contact the Career & Technical Education Department.

AICE & IB Applicants

In addition to applying in Home Access Center (HAC), AICE & IB applicants are required to submit a Teacher Recommendation for each of their core subject areas: language arts, math, science and social studies.

Any private, home school or students who are new to SJCSD should submit report cards/transcripts and letters of recommendation to the AICE or IB coordinator at the school where they apply.  These are due by January 31, 2024.

Early College Program Applicants

For details about the process of applying for an Early College Program, please refer to the St. Johns County Lottery and Application Process document on the St. Johns River State College website.

Early Career Program Applicants

Students will apply to the Early Career Program via the SJCSD Lottery Application Process, selecting SAHS Early Career as their Program of Interest. All applications received for this program will be reviewed to ensure students meet eligibility requirements prior to acceptance. Students will also be contacted after they apply to declare which FCTC program they are applying for. This cannot be changed, as the programs each have a set number of seats available.

New Residents

How do new residents apply?
Students who are newly moving into the county will be considered for open seats when available.  See this site for what you need to register your student for school.

If you are just moving to our district and would like to join one of our academy programs please follow the steps on this site to enroll your student.

Just as new students moving into the district can do, students who are St. Johns county residents who are not already enrolled in a St. Johns County School District school can register to become a student at any time before the new school year begins. Then they can contact the Career Specialist at the schools or the District Career Education office at (904) 547-4870 to find out if room remains in a Program of Interest for which the student is interested.  If there is room, they may complete a New Student Application after all other registration paperwork is complete.

As a reminder, the parents/guardians of students attending an out-of-zone school are required to provide transportation for the student to and from the out-of-zone school.

Returning Students

What do CURRENT students in Programs of Interest need to do to CONTINUE in the program/s next school year?

High School Programs of Interest include Career Academies, JROTC, IB, AICE, Early College, Early Career, and St. Johns County Center for the Arts.

If continuing in the program next school year, NOTHING needs to be done regarding an application or out-of-zone waiver.  Students who do not wish to remain in a program next year were notified that they should complete an Program of Interest Change & Drop Form to be signed by the student and parent and submitted to their Career Specialist.  In that situation, out-of-zone students will return to their zoned school next school year.

Middle School Students

For CURRENT middle school students in the St. Johns County Center for the Arts at Murray Middle School, the same rules apply as stated above, though the Program of Interest Change & Drop Form should be submitted to the Murray Middle School Principal and the Career & Technical Education Department.

Acceptance

Students who apply to an academy or Program of Interest and are accepted will be assigned to the program automatically. There is no need to “accept” the assignment. If something changes about your desire to participate in the program, you should communicate that to the Career and Technical Education office at [email protected].

For example, you apply to an “out-of-zone” school, are accepted and assigned. Then, due to unforeseen circumstances your transportation is not working out as planned and you need to attend your zoned school. You would communicate that with the Career and Technical Education office.