FACE Enrollment
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for FACE, prospective students must be between the ages of 3 and 22 and must already have a qualifying Individual Education Plan with a school-based autism eligibility.
An opening must be available in your child’s eligible classroom – based on his or her IEP goals, age, and ability level to attend FACE. To find out if there are any openings and to schedule a tour of the campus, please contact us at 813-985-3223(FACE).
As part of Hillsborough County Charter School registration requirements, those families living outside of Hillsborough County are required to submit a signed release from their county of residence, along with the charter school application, to secure enrollment.
For more information please contact us at [email protected]
FACE Enrollment Lottery
Florida Law requires charter schools to admit students via a random selection process or lottery when the number of applications exceeds capacity.
Prior to conducting a lottery, enrollment preference may be given to:
- students who are siblings of a student enrolled in the charter school,
- students who are the children of a member of the governing board of the charter school,
- students who are the children of an employee of the charter school,
- students who are children of a business partner with the school,
- students who are children of a resident of a municipality that operates a charter school-in-a-municipality,
- students who have been in a pre-K program in that school, and
- students who are the children of active-duty members of any branch of the armed forces.
The FACE lottery enrollment period will close April 23, 2024, for the 2024-2025 school year. The annual lottery will be conducted on April 30th. Parents will be notified of their student’s lottery status within one week of the lottery. Once capacity has been reached, students wishing to enroll will be placed on the waitlist and subject to a lottery selection once a seat becomes available. We have an unranked waitlist. Enrollment for the current school year is open on a first come, first serve basis, until the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the program, class, grade level or building.
Enrollment Capacity
Click to view. The enrollment capacity is updated each month and space availability is subject to change without notice.
Student Application
Follow the steps below to apply.
Step 1 – Complete and submit the following paperwork:
Hillsborough County Transferring Students:
- The student’s current *IEP (Individualized Education Plan) with Autism Eligibility or Developmentally Delayed (age 6 and under only)
- Prospective Student Application- FACE APPLICATION (Revised July 2022)
- *Behavior Plan (if applicable)
Out-of-County or Out-of-State Transferring Students:
- *Initial consent for ESE Placement
- *Social history report
- *Psychoeducational (psychological) report
- The student’s current *IEP (Individualized Education Plan) with Autism Eligibility or Developmentally Delayed (age 6 and under only)
- Prospective Student Application- FACE APPLICATION (Revised July 2022)
- *Behavior Plan (if applicable)
*These documents can be obtained by calling your child’s school/district.
These items can be sent via email or mail to:
Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE)
Attn: Enrollment Team
6310 East Sligh Ave.
Tampa, FL 33617
[email protected]
Step 2 – FACE will review the IEP to determine eligibility and class placement based on the student’s age and needs. Please allow at least one (1) week to hear if your child has been accepted to the school.
Step 3 – If your child is accepted and there is an opening in the appropriate class, FACE will notify you and schedule a tour. FACE offers tours by appointment only to prospective students and families. Tours may be scheduled by calling 813-985-3223. If your child is eligible, but there is not a classroom opening, FACE will notify you and place your child on a waitlist.
Step 4 – Once a student is accepted, his or her legal parent(s) or guardian(s) must fill out and complete the student registration forms. FACE administrators will then review the documents and contact parents to arrange a start date.
Now Enrolling
Students Grades K-12 can now enroll to become part of the FACE family.
Enrollment FAQs
An Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, is a written document that’s developed for children attending public school who are eligible to participate in special education programs. The document, which is created by a multidisciplinary team of educators and experts, confirms that the child for whom it’s written has a disability and requires specialized services to benefit from general education. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year and outlines the types of support he or she will need to achieve them.
Any child who has been identified as a special needs student would benefit from an IEP. To attend FACE, an IEP is required beforehand for all prospective students.
You can start by speaking with your child’s teacher or school administrator in the public school system and tell them that you want your child evaluated for a disability. Get a developmental screening provided through the school system or the county. Call your local school system for more information. It does not cost any money to obtain an IEP for your child.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there are 13 categories of disabilities: autism, deaf or blindness, developmental delays, emotional disturbance, hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairments (visit http://idea.ed.gov for more information). However, to attend FACE, your child must have an IEP with a school-based autism eligibility or developmentally delayed eligibility. Please call us at 813.985.3223 to learn more about the IEP, and visit our enrollment page to learn about additional eligibility requirements to attend FACE.
FACE is committed to the safety and security of all of its students and staff. The school is housed in one main building that requires a pass card for secure entrance. All visitors to the school must call the office from the video doorbell in order to gain entry. We offer low student to teacher ratios to ensure that students not only receive the highest quality of education but also constant monitoring and supervision. FACE operates under a strict “line of sight” policy, so your child is never out of the sight of a staff member. All staff members carry radios for easy communication and keep each other updated.
FACE has a designated behavior/emergency team that is trained in CPR, First Aid and crisis management. All of these staff members are trained in the basics of providing support for behavior intervention. All FACE staff members are required to report any instances of suspected or stated child abuse to the Florida Department of Children & Families. All employees and agents of a public school district, charter school or private school also have an obligation and legal responsibility to report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators which affects the health, safety or welfare of a student.
Parents are of course welcome to contact their child’s teachers and behavior analysts at any time to find out how he or she is progressing or to discuss any concerns they may have about their child’s development. Additionally, teachers collect and maintain a data log that tracks student progress and IEP goal attainment. This log is shared regularly with parents.
We recommend that anybody whose child is interested in and is eligible to attend FACE first arrange to take a tour of the school. Please call us at 813.985.3223 during school hours, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., to schedule a tour date. FACE schedules tours by appointment only for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-1pm.