Somerset Academy Inc. is a non-profit

charter management organization A charter management organization (CMO) is an educational organization that operates charter schools in the United States. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of the local government school district. A CMO contracts with ...

based in

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

. It has a network of 80 schools in Florida, Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Spain. In 2015, Somerset operated

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

enrolling 14,951 students on a hybrid basis. Somerset partners with Academica, a

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

education management organization An education management organization (EMO) is a term of art describing a for-profit entity that manages schools. It provides a distinction from charter management organization which is a ''non-profit'' manager of charter schools. The terms are oft ...

History

Fernando Zulueta created a

Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721, making it the fourth-largest city in Broward County, the sixth-largest cit ...

housing development in 1997 that needed a local school for residents. He recruited Ruth Jacoby, who had over twenty years experience with

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida, the largest in the South ...

to be the first principal for Somerset Neighborhood School, a non-profit charter school authorized by the Florida Legislature in 1996. Zuluete incorporated Academica in 1999 as a

For-profit education For-profit education (also known as the education services industry or proprietary education) refers to educational institutions operated by private, Profit (economics), profit-seeking businesses. For-profit education is common in many parts of the ...

provider of services to charter schools. Somerset Academies rely on Academica for curriculum, tests, facilities, security, staff recruitment, budgeting, accounting and other services. The company assisted Somerset in launching additional charter schools by writing charter school applications, establishing corporate structures, providing experts to advocate and lobby government agencies, managing public relations & marketing, and ensuring regulatory compliance. The school was founded in 1997. It began with 50 students from Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Operations

In 2017, a

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

state appeals court approved Somerset's application to open two schools in

Indian River County Indian River County () is a county located in the southeastern and east-central portions of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest county and in 2000 w ...

after rejection by the Indian River County School District. Also in 2017, the

Florida Department of Education The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is the state education agency of Florida. It governs public education and manages funding and testing for local educational agencies (school boards). It is headquartered in the Turlington Building ( ...

took financial control of the Jefferson County, Florida Public School District due to missing money, low school grades and questionable staffing decisions. Control was delegated to Somerset Academy Inc. which operated a charter school in

Monticello, Florida Monticello ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Monticello, the estate of the county's namesake, Thomas Jefferson, on which the Jefferson County Courthouse was modeled. ...

. Jefferson County is the only Florida public school district to ever be controlled by a charter school. The FDOE returned control to the local school board on February 9, 2022, but the district must submit a monthly budget report to the state for one year and maintain a minimum 5% unassigned fund balance.

Awards and rankings

Somerset Arts Conservatory in

was ranked the 23rd best high school in Florida for 2021.

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

participation is 94%. Somerset Academy Charter High in

was ranked the 50th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Academy Charter High School in

Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the United States, U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and ...

was ranked the 109th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Academy Miramar High School was ranked the 168th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Academy Canyons High School in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about north of Miami. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded a population of 80,380. Boynton Beach is located in the Mi ...

was ranked the 185th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Academy South Homestead was ranked the 186th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Preparatory Academy Charter High at North Lauderdale was ranked the 233rd best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset College Preparatory Academy in Port Saint Lucie, Florida was ranked the 240th best high school in Florida for 2021. Somerset Academy Sky Pointe in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

was ranked the 50th best high school in Nevada for 2021. Somerset Academy Losee in

North Las Vegas, Nevada North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 262,527, with an estimated population of 280,543 in 2022. The city was incorporated on May 1, 1946 ...

was ranked the 65th best high school in Nevada for 2021.

References

{{reflist Charter schools in the United States Charter management organizations Charter schools in Florida