Public schools provide abundant choices | Orlando Relocation Guide

Educational choices in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties are abundant, but how does a parent choose where to send their child? While some may decide based on location, logistics or finances, many are making decisions based on their child’s needs and interests.
“For me, school is not a one-size-fits-all,” said Norm Dubois, father of five. “Where we place our children is where we think is the best fit for that child depending upon what needs they have.” Dubois and his wife, Dina, have 4 of their 5 children in school – two in public (a son, 13, a daughter, 7), one in private, (a daughter, 4) and one is home schooled (a daughter, 15). Their youngest is age 2.

“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.

K-12-Education