HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Many of the students at Jefferson High School in Tampa have specifically chosen to go here for a certain program.
“I’m in the cosmetology program,” said Kyara Cruz, a senior at Jefferson High School.
“I’m in the criminal justice program,” said Delenis Fleites, a senior at Jefferson High School.
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“I’m in the business and finance program,” said Saadhana Arunkumar, a senior at Jefferson High School.
Students travel from near and far to come to Jefferson every day.
“We have kids who come to us from all over the whole school district,” said Jennifer Canady, principal of Jefferson High School.
Jefferson has programs like criminal justice, cosmetology, hospitality and tourism, and a culinary program, to name a few.
“I’ve learned knife skills, I’ve learned a lot about cooking, you know, the safety and sanitization of cooking,” said Lashawna Anderson, a senior at Jefferson High School.
“I’ve learned a lot from like the different things that it takes to become an entrepreneur," said Jahquez Louis, a senior at Jefferson High School.
Tampa Bay 28 asked a few students about their choice to come to Jefferson.
“I wanted to learn the business part first before I got into cosmetology,” said Cruz.
The students at Jefferson have big plans after graduation.
“I want to have my own bakery or my own little shop,” said Anderson.
“The thing I want to go into straight after high school is I want to be a 911 dispatcher, just while I’m in college and everything, because we’re automatically certified, so I can get a job straight away after high school," said Fleites.
“I’m learning a lot of technical things, and I know I want to go into finance,” said Arunkumar.
They attribute this to being in these specialty programs.
“This magnet program has really helped me solidify the idea that I want to be an accountant,” said Louis.
They have a message for other students and families considering choice and magnet school options.
“Don’t keep a closed mind. Like, open up your mind to different opportunities. You don’t know what’s going to come your way,” said Cruz.
If you want your child to go to a different school other than what they’re zoned for, for a specific program, now is the best time to make that decision for Hillsborough County students.
“Whether it’s our 43 magnet schools with dozens of programs, whether it’s our choice attractors, whether it’s Hillsborough virtual school, our dual language programs, or any of our choice schools,” said Brian Hoover, Director of Accelerated and Magnet Programs for Hillsborough County Public Schools.
The fall school choice and magnet school application window opens Monday, Oct. 20, and closes Sunday, Dec. 7.
This would be for the 2026-2027 school year.
“It’s also the best opportunity for students to visit schools. All of our schools have open houses, parent information nights, and they’ll be able to do campus tours in addition to the district events that we host,” said Hoover.
After this fall application window, the Hillsborough County School District may have a spring or summer application window, but it’s based on how much space is still available.
The district’s most popular programs tend to fill up quickly.
The largest choice and magnet schools expo for students and families is on Monday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jefferson High School.
There are other, smaller expos at different schools before the application deadline.
“So we’re just excited for families to come out and explore all the options that we have in Hillsborough County Public Schools,” said Hoover.
School leaders encourage parents and students to consider all of their options when planning for the next school year.
“It gives you experiences that open up doors and also let you reflect on what you might not even know is a possibility,” said Canady.
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