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27 Pinellas schools win national Merit Awards from Magnet Schools of America

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Twenty-seven Pinellas schools have won national Merit Awards from Magnet Schools of America, breaking the district’s record for the most Merit Awards earned from MSA.

27 MSA Winning Schools

One school won the highest honor, Top Magnet Schools of Excellence, and nine more were named Magnet Schools of Excellence, the second-highest honor.

“The National Merit Awards highlight what matters most: Students who are engaged, challenged, and excited about learning,” said Ellen Truskowski, the director of Student Demographics, Assignment, and School Capacity. “Our magnet programs open doors to opportunity, creativity and achievement. I’m thrilled to see so many of our schools receive national recognition for creating dynamic pathways that help students reach their full potential.”

Pinellas County Schools offers nearly 90 magnet and fundamental programs focused on students' interests, talents, and abilities. Congratulations to this year’s Merit Award winners:

Top Magnet Schools of Excellence:

  • Ridgecrest Elementary School/Center for Gifted Studies

Magnet Schools of Excellence:

  • Hollins High School/ Academy of Culinary Arts, Academy of Entertainment Arts, Cambridge AICE
  • Douglas L. Jamerson, Jr. Elementary School/ Center for Mathematics and Engineering
  • East Lake High School/ Academy of Engineering
  • Garrison-Jones Elementary/ Dual Language Immersion Program
  • Jonathan C. Gibbs High School/ Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA) and the Business, Entrepreneurial, and Technology Academy (BETA)
  • Kings Highway Elementary Magnet School/ Center for Digital Learning and STEAM
  • Lakewood High School/ Center for Advanced Technology
  • Midtown Academy/ Center for Cultural Arts, Gifted Studies, and Literacy Innovation
  • Safety Harbor Middle World School/ IB World School

Magnet Schools of Distinction:

  • Bay Point Middle School/ Center for Advancement of the Sciences and Technology
  • Boca Ciega High School/ Center for Wellness and Medical Professions
  • Countryside High School/ ISTEM
  • Dunedin Highland Middle/ Center for Gifted Studies
  • East Lake Middle School/ Academy of Engineering
  • Elisa Nelson Elementary School/ Center for Gifted Studies and Literacy Innovation
  • James B. Sanderlin K-8/ IB World School
  • John Hopkins Middle School/Center for the Arts, Journalism and Gifted Studies
  • Largo Middle/ IB World School
  • McMullen Booth Elementary School/ IB World School
  • Mildred Helms Elementary IB World School
  • Palm Harbor University High School/International Baccalaureate Program/Center for Wellness and Medical Professions 
  • Perkins Elementary School/ Center for the Arts and International Studies
  • Sandy Lane Elementary School/ Conservatory for the Arts
  • Tarpon Springs High School/ Leadership Conservatory for the Arts, Cambridge AICE, Jacobson Culinary Arts Academy, and Veterinary Science
  • Tarpon Springs Middle School/ Cambridge Conservatory of Academics and the Arts
  • Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School

MSA is a national nonprofit professional education organization. To earn a national Merit Award, members must submit a detailed application, which is scored by a panel of educators. Schools are scored on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school’s magnet theme.

The award-winning schools will be recognized at Magnet Schools of America’s National Conference, to be held April 15-17, 2025, in San Diego.