Private High School in Destin, FL:
Grades 9-12 at The Barrett School
The Barrett School is Destin's only full-program private high school serving students from 9th through 12th grade on a structured five-day academic week. The upper school combines rigorous academics, advanced STEM education, and a dual enrollment program with Arizona State University and the University of South Florida, so students graduate with real university credits, verified skills, and a clear path into higher education. Small class sizes, dedicated faculty mentorship, and an outdoor-integrated curriculum make this a genuinely different learning environment from anything else available in the Destin area.
Dual Enrollment Program
through partnerships with Arizona State University (ASU)
Barrett's formal partnerships with Arizona State University and the University of South Florida give upper school students access to more than 70 college-level courses with no SAT requirement. Credits are transferable to most colleges and universities nationwide and apply toward an Associate's or Bachelor's degree. Courses run on 6-, 8-, or 12-week schedules, allowing students to integrate university coursework into their standard upper school schedule. Barrett faculty work alongside university instructors throughout, so students receive academic support at both the high school and university level.
This is an actual university transcript, not a general promise of college readiness. A student who completes four to six dual enrollment courses over their high school years arrives at university with credits already applied, tuition already saved, and a demonstrated capacity for university-level work that no high school grade alone can provide. For a full breakdown of how the program works and who qualifies, the guide to dual enrollment for private high school students in Florida covers the eligibility requirements, Florida statute framework, and credit transferability in detail.
Advanced STEM across every grade level
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are not elective subjects at Barrett's upper school. They are woven into the academic experience across disciplines from 9th grade through graduation. The program includes hands-on instruction in robotics, biotech, coding, and immersive virtual reality learning, all structured around real-world problem-solving rather than textbook procedures.
Students design and build functional robots, write and test real code, explore biological systems in working lab environments, and use VR technology to engage with subject matter in ways that standard classroom instruction cannot replicate. Rooftop hydroponic tower gardens and a functioning weather station give students direct access to live environmental science data that feeds into coursework across biology, mathematics, and sustainability studies. This depth of STEM integration across subjects is one of the clearest distinctions between Barrett's upper school and the public high school options available in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Leadership, character, and preparation for life beyond graduation
Academic achievement is one dimension of what a high school education should produce. The Barrett School's upper school is also built around leadership development, civic engagement, and the kind of real-world problem-solving that does not appear on standardized tests but shows up in every university application, every job interview, and every situation that requires a person to navigate difficulty with confidence.
Students in the upper school are regularly placed in situations that require independent thinking, public communication, and collaborative leadership under real academic and social pressure. Service learning is integrated into the program as a structured pathway toward civic responsibility, not as a box to check for a transcript. The combination of academic rigor and character development is why families who have compared Barrett to every other option in Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and the 30A corridor consistently describe the culture of the school as the thing they could not find anywhere else.
Who Barrett's upper school serves
Barrett's 9th through 12th grade program serves a wide range of families across the Northwest Florida region. The school regularly welcomes students who are entering high school for the first time from Barrett's own Intermediate School, students transferring from public high schools who are looking for smaller classes and more individual academic attention, military families relocating to Okaloosa and Walton County who need a school that can absorb a transfer student mid-year with genuine academic continuity, and students who are academically motivated and want dual enrollment access that most local options cannot provide.
Mid-year enrollment is available. The admissions team works with each family individually on transcript review and course placement rather than running a standardized intake process. For families who are new to the Destin area and working through the full comparison of high school options, the top high schools in Destin, Florida covers every realistic option in the market with published academic data on each. For families working through the private versus public decision specifically, the private vs public high school comparison covers the five structural differences that matter most at the high school level.
Electives that build real-world portfolios
Upper school electives at Barrett are designed around portfolio-building and applied mastery, not just credit accumulation. Students choose from seven elective offerings:
