SAIL High School - History

History

When SAIL was founded in 1975, it was originally intended for students from grades 7–12 who found that they had difficulty achieving success in other public high schools. The school was brought up in such a way in Rosanne Wood's 1989 article "SAIL: A Pioneer For Schools of Choice in Florida", which was printed in a book called Public Schools by Choice, edited by Joe Nathan.

However, SAIL gradually evolved into a school for students who had average or above-average success in public school but desired an alternative environment for any combination of reasons. Some preferred the idea of a smaller or more intellectual environment while others wanted a school that lacked the social isolation or excessively strict school policies found in a standard high school setting. As SAIL evolved through the late 1970s and 1980s, the school developed a higher focus on creativity and enrolled students in grades 9–12 rather than 7–12. The bean bag chairs with which it had originally been supplied were replaced by standard school chairs and long college desks at which groups of students could sit and assist each other with group projects.

In 2007, in recognition of its changed purpose, SAIL changed its official name from "School for Applied Individualized Learning" to "School for Arts and Innovative Learning."