Schools in Orlando

[FloridaPixie]

My husband and I are considering a possible move to Orlando and I wanted to see if any locals could chime in with helpful advice about Orlando area schools.

We love the Vista Lakes area very much, love Vista Lakes Elementary and Odyssey Middle, but Vista Lakes is assigned to Colonial High School. We know that Colonial has a "C" rating, and is in a kind of rougher area of town. We want our daughter to go to school in a safe environment and be challenged in her school work by motivated teachers.

Our daughter is now 7 years old, and high school is still 7 years away, so much could change between now and then in terms of school assignment, we hope. Our daughter is currently in the gifted program in her elementary school (in Florida Panhandle), and we suspect she'll go on to honors and AP classes in high school.

We've looked in the Lake Nona area, but the homes are extremely small for a much higher price than in Vista Lakes. However, the elementary, middle, and high schools for Lake Nona are incredible and state-of-the-art. We're willing to downsize if needed to live in Nona, but would strongly consider Vista Lakes if Colonial is not as bad as we fear, or if there could be a change to request a transfer for her a different high school when the time comes. We just don't know if that is a possibility.

Any insight anyone could offer would be so appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Feralpeg]

I know very little about the Vista Lakes area or Colonial High School. I do know that the area around Colonial is a rougher area. It tends to be low income with a very diverse population.

The Lake Nona area is an up and coming area. There will a ton of development in that area in the next few years thanks to the new medical campus.

If you decide to go with the Vista Lakes area, you could always request to place your DD in a magnet program when she reaches high school. You must do this by her sophomore year.

I know you are focused on schools, but please keep commuting in mind when you make your decision on where to live. Commuting across Orlando on a daily basis is not fun! The traffic issues can be horrible and there are tons of tolls. It can become very expensive. Good luck!

 

[wendy46001]

Also Vista Lakes is very far away from Orlando (commuter time) youre looking at a 45min drive to get to major areas. While Lake Nona is an up in coming area, you also need to consider the noise traffic from the Orlando airport (very low flying plans).

Central Florida has excellent magnet programs best to find a job, live near to it and then worry about which school to attend.

 

[FloridaPixie]

Thanks Feralpeg, we are familiar with the tolls and traffic for sure. My husband is a high school AP Biology teacher, so he's hoping to get a job at Lake Nona HS, or perhaps Edgewater, Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, though he would be willing to start anywhere then hopefully transfer into one of the better high schools. Our plan is for him to finish out this upcoming school year, then move down Summer 2014 if he is able to find a job.

Are the magnet programs actual schools unto themselves, or part of another high school, kind of a "side school?" We also wondered about the possibility of putting in a transfer request for her to attend the school where her father ends up teaching.

I see you live in the Windermere area, do you have children at Dr. Phillips? If so, could you possibly give us some names of neighborhoods in that area that you would recommend? We just got back from a Nona/Vista Lake house hunting trip, and thought we would also consider the Dr. Phillips area as well.

Thanks very much for your time!

 

[FloridaPixie]

Very cute baby by the way, sooo adorable! Are the magnet programs based on a "lottery system," where you can request the magnet but are not guaranteed to receive your choice? Our main concern is buying in Vista Lakes then being stuck sending her to Colonial if we were not granted a transfer!

 

[wendy46001]

Very cute baby by the way, sooo adorable! Are the magnet programs based on a "lottery system," where you can request the magnet but are not guaranteed to receive your choice? Our main concern is buying in Vista Lakes then being stuck sending her to Colonial if we were not granted a transfer!

Thanks, she's my little doll

Back in the day you'd apply to a magnet and got in based on grades, activities and recommendations. I'm not sure how much its changed with the increase of programs in the areas but no, not everyone is guaranteed a spot.

Colonial is a rough school DH went there freshmen year and then was re-zoned to University, which back then wasnt much better. Though like most schools there are good and bad parts of everything the right course and friends can make all the difference.

I think you have lots of variables ahead of you right now with your childs age and your DH possibly teaching at different schools in the next few years. Its also a good idea to try and rent for a year in an area just to see if you can deal with the commute and location

 

[FloridaPixie]

Thanks so much Wendy! We do have many variables for sure, a lot to consider : ). I will look into the magnet programs and plan to contact the OCPS office to talk about magnet and transfer opportunities. It's crazy that Colonial is 2.5 miles further away from Vista Lakes than Lake Nona HS, but Vista is slated for Colonial! I just would not be comfortable with my daughter going there.

Thanks for steering me in the right direction regarding the magnets!

 

[scoutie]

My husband is a high school AP Biology teacher, so he's hoping to get a job at Lake Nona HS, or perhaps Edgewater, Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, though he would be willing to start anywhere then hopefully transfer into one of the better high schools

Does he have leads, or know somebody in the district? My friend has been looking for two years for a teaching job in Orlando. She says there are around 500-600 applicants for every position.

Are you moving down for your job? Maybe you husband could sub to get his foot in the door.

Normally, I stay out of threads where I can't weigh in about the specific question, but I wanted to share the information about teaching positions. Perhaps your husband already has strong leads, in which case, disregard!

 

[Feralpeg]

Thanks Feralpeg, we are familiar with the tolls and traffic for sure. My husband is a high school AP Biology teacher, so he's hoping to get a job at Lake Nona HS, or perhaps Edgewater, Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, though he would be willing to start anywhere then hopefully transfer into one of the better high schools. Our plan is for him to finish out this upcoming school year, then move down Summer 2014 if he is able to find a job.

Are the magnet programs actual schools unto themselves, or part of another high school, kind of a "side school?" We also wondered about the possibility of putting in a transfer request for her to attend the school where her father ends up teaching.

I see you live in the Windermere area, do you have children at Dr. Phillips? If so, could you possibly give us some names of neighborhoods in that area that you would recommend? We just got back from a Nona/Vista Lake house hunting trip, and thought we would also consider the Dr. Phillips area as well.

Thanks very much for your time!

The magnet programs are "side schools" in various high schools. For instance, Dr. Phillips is a performing arts magnet.

We moved to Windermere when DD was entering her junior year. We were zoned for West Orange High School. I tried to get DD into the performing arts magnet at Dr. Phillips, but it was too late. She would have had to apply prior to entering her sophomore year.

Windermere is not zoned for Dr. Phillips. Parts of it are zoned for West Orange and the rest for Olympia. Olympia is a very nice school. West Orange is not bad. They have a brand new building. They do have a very mixed demographic student population. If you are interested in Dr. Phillips, you would need to live in Dr. Phillips. I pass neighborhoods there all the time, but I've never paid much attention. I'm sure, if you Google, Dr. Phillips neighborhoods, it would bring up a ton. If you ask me about any in particular I might be able to recall seeing them. Sorry, I can't be more help on this.

If you like the Windermere area, the elementary and middle schools here are very nice. Gotha also has nice schools. As others have said, it might be wise to rent for a year to check out the area until you see if you like it and where you husband finds a teaching position. You have a lot of time before you really have to decide on a high school. Again, if you like Windermere, there a lot of houses in the area for rent in some very nice neighborhoods. (There is one across the street from me for rent right now! lol!)

As for teaching positions in the area, the previous poster was right. Finding a teaching position here may be difficult. That is not to say that it couldn't happen. It's just about being in the right place at the right time and experience. My DD is a social sciences teacher. She's been looking for a permanent teaching position for two years. She was just hired to teach 6th grade Ancient History and 7th grade Civics for the 2013-2014 school year at a charter school. She is beyond excited. Tell you husband not to discount the charter and private schools. There are some very nice ones in the area.

Good luck!

 

[Chernabog#1fan]

If your husband is a teacher, you can request a transfer to the school he teaches at.

 

[FloridaPixie]

Thanks Feralpeg and Scoutie, everyone has given me a ton of great information! I thought the competition might be tougher to land a teaching position but had no idea there were sooo many applicants. We hope my husband has a little edge over some of the other applicants (12 years active duty Navy pilot, 13 years Navy reservist pilot, Teacher of the Year twice for his school, science department chair & AP teacher with a good number of his students passing their AP exams), but you never know if another applicant may have an edge over him. That is indeed one of the scariest aspects of a move like this, and we will take your advice seriously.

We will also consider renting if he is able to find a job. I know the Orlando pretty well (former high school recruiter for Mercer University, Orlando was one of my territories), but learning the day-to-day of actually living in an area will be very different from just visiting.

Thanks again for the great words of wisdom guys! I knew I could count on helpful advice from the wonderful people on the Disboards : ).

 

[Jaya]

Colonial is a pretty rough school, in my opinion. That being said, you get out of school what you put into it. I'm past that problem now with the last grandchild graduating from high school last month, but I wouldn't send a child to Colonial if I could avoid it. There aren't many schools in Orange or Osceola Counties that I would consider "good" schools.