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!

 

[Cptnkirky]

i can only speak from what i heard and know through my DH that went to school in Orlando. Colonial is defnitiely one of the HS that was seen as a "scary or slightly unsafe" high school. I am not sure what the schools around you now are like, but the kids in Orlando are rough. Plus, with the highly diverse groups living there, the cultures are so different even between the kids. My DH went to Dr Phillips, which was also a rough school and has stories to tell about it. Lake Nona is a nicer area, which I am sure is why the schools are better as that seems to be the trend everywhere.
We moved out of Orlando because we didn't want to raise children there and put them through the local schools. We don't agree with Florida school policies, but you are probably in that already since you are in FL so it wouldn't be much of a change for you. For me, I would not want to put my child in Colonial, just my opinion.\
Good luck, I hope you find what best works for your family!

 

[SammySlythers]

You could always look into magnet programs or charter schools when the time comes - just avoid Dr. Phillips (it's scary! plus it's literally across the street to Universal - who wants that much incentive to skip class?)

 

[buzznina]

I would look into private schools or charter schools. When we started our family we moved away from Orlando and schools was a big reason for the move.

 

[4kids4karen]

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!

A friend's husband was working for Disney a few years back (he actually redid the reservation system) and was provided a corporate apartment by Disney. My friend looked at moving to Orlando to live with him in the corporate apartment, but after researching all of their school options, they decided to stay in Tampa. She could not find a school in the area that she would have been comfortable sending her kids to, and they are in elementary school. They attend a private school in Tampa.

 

[FloridaPixie]

Thanks to each of you who replied . . .we have definitely decided against considering any school in the Colonial High School area, even though we love the Vista Lakes neighborhood. We are planning to concentrate our housing search on the Lake Nona area only! Colonial does not seem like it would be a good fit for our daughter, and we want to make sure that she will receive the best education possible. Thanks again guys!

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

You could always look into magnet programs or charter schools when the time comes - just avoid Dr. Phillips (it's scary! plus it's literally across the street to Universal - who wants that much incentive to skip class?)

How is Dr. Phillips scary!? It's a very affluent area and the high school is considered one of the best in the county.