30A public schools are Walton County, not a town district. Zone the street, not the postcard. A week in a Seaside rental is not residency. South Walton High is closed to Controlled Open Enrollment (district list, updated February 2026).
The old guide sent every 30A kid to Dune Lakes, called Seaside Neighborhood a middle school only, and treated sowal.co as the enrollment desk. That is the repair.
SoWal (sowal.co) is a free local guide. Questions: hello@sowal.co.
The public door: zone the address
Use the district InfoFinder, not our old map. District office: 145 Park Street, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435. Phone 850-892-1100. Parent portal / new-student register: walton.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/.
South Walton campuses we can name:
Van R. Butler Elementary — 6694 W County Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-622-5040. West 30A elementary. Do not skip it.
Dune Lakes Elementary — 6565 US Highway 98 E, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-622-5012. Their posted bus zone: south of Choctawhatchee Bay, west to Highway 393, east to the Bay County line.
Emerald Coast Middle — 4019 US Highway 98 E, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-622-5025. Grades 6-8.
South Walton High — 645 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-622-5020. Grades 9-12.
Kindergarten: five years old on or before September 1. Calendar: walton.k12.fl.us/page/calendars. Do not invent a first-day date or a 7:15 bell.
A weekly 30A rental, a P.O. box, and a hotel folio are not proof of Walton residency.
How you actually enroll
New students go through Focus, then the school front office with paper.
SWHS and Dune Lakes both ask for:
Birth certificate
Florida DH 680 immunization (blue card)
Florida school-entry physical (DH 3040). Dune Lakes: exam in Florida, not expired, within one year of the August 2026 start
Parent photo ID
Proof of residency: current mortgage or lease and a current utility bill, plus one more that shows the same address (bank statement, insurance, pay stub, credit-card statement, property-tax record, or vehicle registration)
Renters: signed lease. Month-to-month needs a notarized landlord letter. Dune Lakes still takes the completed packet at the front office.
A visitor cannot just apply. Same rule as the dog-beach tag.
Controlled Open Enrollment is not a workaround for South Walton High
District COE page (updated February 2026):
2026-27 window: January 1-March 1, 2026. That window is closed now.
Closed to COE: South Walton High, Freeport High, Freeport Elementary, Mossy Head, West DeFuniak Elementary.
Open (as of that list): Dune Lakes, Emerald Coast Middle, Van R. Butler, plus several north-county schools.
You drive your own kid. No bus on a COE seat. Bring the application and the student performance contract to the requested school, not the district mailroom. Military-order and foster moves get statutory priority.
Charter is a lottery, not the zone
The Seaside School is one charter, two campuses, grades 5-12, tuition-free. Walton residents first.
Seaside Neighborhood School (5-8): 10 Smolian Circle, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-231-0396.
Seacoast Collegiate High (9-12): 129 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 (NWFSC South Walton Center). Same phone.
2026-27 lottery: applications opened January 9 and closed February 13, 5:00 p.m. CT. Lottery was February 27, 2026. Do not print that as an open window. Next cycle: seasideschools.net. Not COE.
Private, if you want it
Ohana Institute — independent, Pre-K-12. 12805 US-98, Suite J100, Inlet Beach, FL 32461. 850-231-1140. Posted day-school hours Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-2:20 p.m. Pre-K they post 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., age 3 by September 1. Not grades 5-12 only.
The Tree House Episcopal Montessori — Christ the King, 480 N Highway 393, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. 850-622-9771. info@thetreehousectk.org.
Do not invent tuition. Call them.
Florida Virtual School is the state virtual option. Register through Walton if you want the public path. Do not invent a South Walton homeschool co-op we cannot name.
FAQs
Which public school is my 30A house zoned for?
InfoFinder. Elementary is Van R. Butler or Dune Lakes. Then Emerald Coast Middle and South Walton High, unless the finder says otherwise.
Can I enroll on a week rental?
No.
Can I COE into South Walton High?
Not on the February 2026 district list. It is at or above capacity.
Is Seaside Neighborhood the only charter?
It is the 5-8 campus. Seacoast Collegiate is the 9-12 campus on Greenway Trail. One lottery.
Who is this guide?
SoWal (sowal.co). Free local notes. hello@sowal.co.
