Williams Elementary School will become the site of the first Alachua County School District (ACPS) International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP), the district announced recently. The program, set to open in fall 2024, is open to students across the district. 

Eastside High School has run an IB program since 1987, but an IB PYP is different, designed for elementary school students, and all of the school’s students are included in the program. This type of IB program is found throughout the world, according to the press release. 

“I’ve been a principal at an International Baccalaureate school, and I’ve seen the benefits it offers students,” said Superintendent Shane Andrew, who led Eastside High School for five years and advocated for an IB PYP in the district. “I’m very excited about the opportunities that the IB PYP will provide for all students at Williams to learn, thrive and grow.” 

The program crosses subject areas and grade levels, aiming to create a stimulating, inquiry-based learning environment that teaches students they are “agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process,” according to the International Baccalaureate website. 

Williams will hold an IB PYP open house at 6 p.m. on Feb. 1 for families of students going into kindergarten through grade 5. There will also be other future informational sessions, according to the press release. 

Parents of students who are currently enrolled at Williams, or zoned to attend the school in the 2024-25 school year, will not need to apply for their child to attend. Those students will be automatically transitioned to the IB school, including those in the existing magnet program. 

The IB PYP will also accept applications from ACPS students across the district, through the magnet application process. The application window is open until 4 p.m. Feb. 13. 

The vacant Prairie View Elementary School campus was originally considered for the program, but according to the release, the district settled on Williams because an existing school would have a “diverse student population, staff and infrastructure already in place, and room for students zoned for other schools who may be interested in applying.” 

More information is also available on the Williams IB PYP website.