“For instance, I have a child who is very social and has a lot of social needs. Home school would not be a good fit for that child,” Dubois said. “My oldest daughter is in the Florida Virtual School. She’s very disciplined and can be self-taught so it is a good fit for her. With that in mind we require her to have other social outlets such as youth group and being part of the youth band.”
The Dubois’ both pastor East Coast Believers Church in Oviedo where they live. For the Dubois’ a lot of the decision-making becomes a matter of prayer and of understanding what season of life each child is in.

Public school districts are county-wide and offer traditional schools for elementary, middle and high schools, but the three counties also offer:

• Charter Schools – an independently run school allowing for greater choice.
• Magnet Schools – a theme- or academic-focused school on such topics as mathematics, science, technology, business or performing arts. Parents can choose a school that matches a student’s interests.
• Virtual Schools – Florida Virtual School provides technology-based education available online or on mobile devices.
• Special Needs Schools or Programs – for children who have mild to moderate learning differences — provides individualized attention, multi-sensory learning methods and smaller class sizes.
• Home School programs –Flexible programs where students may participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities of public schools, scholarship and dual enrollment programs and be admitted to community colleges and state universities upon passing assessment tests.

All schools operate under the 2001 No Child Left Behind federal law which ensures a fair and equal opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and meet state academic standards of proficiency. This year all districts have implemented Common Core Standards.

K-12 Schools

Florida’s growing public school system is leading the nation in prioritizing and raising student achievement. Here are “the facts” about our region’s four school districts.

Orange County Public Schools

• By every measure, student achievement in this growing county compares very well to other large, urban districts, and to the surrounding suburban counties in Central Florida.
• Students come from 212 countries and speak 105 different languages.
• For the 2013-14 school year, 16 traditional high schools (76%) earned grades of "A" or "B" based on combining FCAT, graduation rates, college readiness and participation, and performance in accelerated curricular programs.
• For the 2013-14 school year, nearly 60% of elementary and middle schools were high-performers, earning “A” or “B” grades, based primarily on FCAT scores.
• 29% of OCPS teachers have advanced degrees.
• OCPS has a total of 590 National Board Certified Teachers, the profession’s highest credentials.
• Of the district’s high schools, 17 were named "Top of the Class" by the Washington Post.
• Freedom High in Orlando is ranked the 51st "Best High School" in Florida by U.S. News & World Report.

Seminole County Public Schools

• High schools ranked in the top 4% by Newsweek based on the number of AP and IB tests taken.
• Consistently recognized as an "A" Florida school district, with 86% of all schools earning an "A" or "B" rating in 2013-14.
• Crooms Academy of Information Technology ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report as the "Most Connected School".
• 44% of SCPS teachers have a doctorate, specialist or master’s degree, exceeding the state average.
• Three high schools — Lyman High School, Seminole High School and Crooms Academy of Information Technology — are featured as a "Best High School" by U.S. News & World Report.
• Seminole High School  ranked a “Beating the Odds -Top School for Low Income Students” byNewsweek.
• Named to the College Board’s AP Honor Roll for the second year in a row.

Lake County Schools

• Although it may be the smallest in terms of student population in the four counties, its success has been repeated time and again.
• 50% of traditional high schools received a grade of "A" or "B" grade for the 2013-14 school year.
• Over 30% of the teachers have a doctorate, specialist or master’s degree.
• High school graduation rate increased by 8% over the past 5 years.

School District of Osceola County

• 66% of high schools were awarded an “A” or “B” rating for the 2013-14 school year with 50% of Osceola schools achieving an “A” or “B” rating.
• Osceola County School for the Arts in Kissimmee has been named one of America’s top public high schools by Newsweek magazine in conjunction with the Washington Post.
• Three of Osceola’s schools — PATHS (Professional and Technical High School), New Dimensions High School and Osceola County School for the Arts — are featured as a “Best High School” by U.S. News & World Report.
• STEM programs can be found at Celebration K-8, Chesnut Elementary School for Science and Engineering, Mill Creek Elementary, Narcoossee Elementary and Poinciana High School.

Related Links
Lake County Schools
Orange County Public Schools
School District of Osceola County
Seminole County Public Schools
Florida Charter Schools
Florida Magnet Schools
Florida Private Schools
Florida Public Virtual Schools

K-12-Education

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Private schools typically boast smaller classes, stricter discipline and a focus on moral development. Such benefits, however, do have a price which for many is worth it. Freedom from government funding and meddling (bureaucratic processes set down by politicians) that tend to hinder public schools, is why private schools are a promising option. Less governmental regulations enables the school to focus on the development of the child by providing academically-challenging and socially-enhanced programs.

Parents can expect to pay anywhere from $3,500 per year for a K-6 program to more than $18,000 per year for a high school preparatory program. Most faith-based schools are supported by their congregations and are able to provide a more affordable experience.
According to the Council for American Private Education (CARE), private school students scored higher on standardized tests, had more demanding graduation requirements and sent more graduates to college than public schools.

Private school education is good for students. It’s determined, according to a joint report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice statistics that private school students “are significantly more likely than others to feel safe and be safe in their schools.”

Private education is also good for families as parents generally select a school that promotes the values they embrace.

Regardless of a parent’s choice of schools, children spend the greater part of their youth inside a classroom, which means that finding the right academic, social and moral fit for their child is of the utmost importance.

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At campuses throughout Central Florida, there is a wealth of knowledge, whether one seeks a degree, a career change, or just wants to sharpen job skills. Here’s a sampling of the options available:

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (UCF)

ucf.edu
The UCF and its 12 colleges serve 60,000 students. Located in Orlando, UCF is the nation’s second-largest university. UCF is called a “Top Up-and-Coming” national university by U.S. News & World Report, a ‘Best-value University” by The Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s, and “one of the nation’s most affordable colleges” by Forbes Magazine.

UCF is an academic and research leader in modeling and simulation, optics, computer science, nanotechnology, education, business administration, hospitality management, digital media and other disciplines. It offers 212 degree programs and recently awarded its 250,000th degree. In addition to the 1,415-acre main campus, UCF operates 9 campuses throughout Central Florida. The Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus is located on Universal Boulevard in the heart of one of the world’s top tourist destinations. UCF has a 45,000-seat football stadium and a 10.000-seat convocation center and hosts basketball games, commencement ceremonies, concerts and other events.

UCF College of Medicine

med.ucf.edu
Part of the nation’s second largest university, the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona includes the College of Medicine and has now entered it’s sixth year with nearly 400 med students enrolled.

FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY

fullsail.edu
Full Sail is a leader for those pursuing a career in the entertainment and media industries. Its 212-acre campus in Winter Park serves more than 15,700 students tackling 48 degree programs. According to their web site, “education is delivered via immersive teaching methods, both in Full Sail’s real world production studios and classrooms, as well as through our online learning environment.” Their “accelerated degree programs not only serve to get students out into the industry in half the time of traditional schools, but by using 40-hour weeks and 24-hour schedules, our programs prepare them for the tough deadlines and intense creative demands of the entertainment field.”

ROLLINS COLLEGE

rollins.edu
Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida’s oldest recognized college and is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s best colleges.” A comprehensive liberal arts college, Rollins provides strong and distinctive degrees and programs. The school offers 49 majors, 15 minors and a variety of interdisciplinary programs. The College’s Hamilton Holt School provides evening and weekend graduate and undergraduate programs to adults seeking professional advancement or personal enrichment.

VALENCIA COLLEGE

valenciacollege.edu
Valencia College is the third largest of Florida’s community colleges, boasting an enrollment of 77,000 students at several campuses. Valencia College has 33 Associate in Science career programs that offer the option to pursue a bachelor’s degree or go directly into a new career with a job placement rate of 93-95 percent.

Barry University School Of Law

barry.edu/law
The Barry University School of Law is committed to providing graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to aid society through the competent and ethical practice of law. The 20-acre Orlando campus, established in 1999, is in east Orlando just off East Colonial Drive. The main campus of Barry University in Miami was founded by a Dominican Order of Catholic Nuns in 1940.

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY

law.famu.edu
FAMU law school is the only public law school in Orlando. According to its web site, the college is affiliated with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, historically a black university where the law school dates back to 1949. The school was fully accredited since July 2009 and serves as an attractive option for law school.

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

med.fsu.edu
FSU College of Medicine provides third- and fourth year clinical training through affiliations with local physicians, ambulatory care facilities and hospitals, such as at the Regional Medical School Campus-Orlando. Medical students work through eight different rotations in family, internal and emergency medicine, pediatrics, surgery, geriatrics, psychiatry, and obstetrics-gynecology.

SEMINOLE STATE COLLEGE

seminolestate.edu
SSC offers two-year college credit degrees and five four-year Bachelor degrees. The school also offers specialized career certificates, as well as professional development, personal enrichment and adult education courses. In all, SSC offers more than 190 degrees and programs. The college has been named 28th out of the top 100 community colleges in the U.S. for Associate Degrees awarded in Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Other higher education institutions with facilities in the region include:

Other higher education institutions with facilities in the region include:
Ana G. Mendez Metro Orlando University  //  Barry University  //  Beacon College  //  Belhaven College  //  Columbia College  //  DeVry University  //  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University  //  Florida A&M College of Law  //  Florida Institute of Technology  //  Florida Southern College  //  Florida State University College of Medicine  //  Full Sail University  //  Keller Graduate School of Management  //  Keiser University  // National-Louis University //  NOVA Southeastern University  //  Polytech University  //  Stetson University  //  Troy State University  //  University of Phoenix  //  University of South Florida  //  Webster University

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