Taking advantage of public magnet schools or private schools allows more options for your child. This post will help you find the best schools in the Orlando area as well as the best neighborhoods so you can find a house or apartment that fit both your children’s needs and budget.
It’s that time of year again, back to school. School sports are starting back up, teachers are finalizing their curriculums and parents are searching for back to school savings and discounts.
One positive aspect of moving to Orlando is that the city is very large and densely populated so there are many schools to choose from, at all grade levels. There are numerous neighborhoods in Orlando—or just outside of the city—that have great school districts; however, the cost of living in these areas tends to be much more expensive. Just because you can’t afford the more upscale apartments in Orlando doesn’t mean you necessarily have to send your child to the default school of the neighborhood.
When it comes to the best neighborhoods in Orlando, Winter Park always comes out on top. The neighborhoods are always clean, quiet and full of lavish, awe-inspiring houses and apartments that truly stand out when compared to other housing regions in Orlando. The area puts you right next to upscale shopping centers, such as Park Avenue, as well as beautiful parks, playgrounds and sports centers.
Naturally, these luxurious neighborhoods tend to come at a high price, so budgeters should be cautious. However, the area is home to Lakemont Elementary School, which has received a five-star community rating at greatschools.org and continues to score well above average on standardized tests for both reading and math. Also, parents might choose to send older children to Trinity Preparatory School, this is a private school for grades 6-12 with a prestigious reputation and rigorous academic structure. The school has prepared many students for acceptance into some of the top universities in the country.
Sanford is a city just outside of Orlando that is home to several public magnet schools, complete with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs that help students from public schools compete for the nation’s top colleges.
Millennium Middle School has wonderful magnet programs in Fine Arts and Communication, designed to help students prepare for college by focusing on potential majors. Students who attend Millennium usually go on to Seminole High School, which also offers a magnet International Baccalaureate program in various subjects to prepare students for success in college. The school also consistently performs above average in the standardized testing for the state and prepares many of its students for the top schools in the country.
Some other great schools in Orlando to look at for your children:
- Lake Highland Preparatory School: A very selective school, ranging from grades Pre K-12, Lake Highland includes a very rigorous college preparatory curriculum that contains 22 Advanced Placement courses and four foreign languages. The school also offers great programs in athletics, arts and various extracurricular activities.
- Lake Mary High School: Ranked in the top 2.1% of high schools in Newsweek Magazine, Lake Mary High School continuously performs above and beyond standardized tests for students in both the state and the nation. The school is home to National Merit Scholarship winners and students of the nation’s best colleges.
- Winter Springs High School: Home to some of the best sports teams in the area, Winter Springs High School prides itself on rigorous academics and outstanding extracurricular activities to give students a full range of character-building programs to prepare for college and the future beyond.
- Hagerty High School: Despite being one of the newest schools in the area, Hagerty High School has truly proven itself to be on par with the best schools in Orlando. From its excellent leadership clubs to its National Honors Society, the school is great for students in grades 9 through 12 because of its focus on guiding each student through high school and onto a successful future.
- Glenridge Middle School: Rated an A school, Glenridge Middle School is constantly performing above and beyond the state standards for reading, math and science for students in grades 6 through 8. From its rigorous academic curriculum to its long list of excellent clubs and organizations, the school is great way to prepare your child for entrance into the top high schools in the city.
- Fern Creek Elementary School: Teaching students from K through 5 levels, Fern Creek Elementary School offers a small teacher to student ratio to ensure that students get the attention they need to succeed.
- Olympia High School: With a picturesque campus and a friendly staff, Olympia High School is a great school for preparing students for college with its rigorous selection of available AP classes and outstanding standardized test scores. The school also has great sports teams and a large variety clubs for all students.
If you are contemplating moving to Orlando or even moving from another part of the city, be sure to take this article to heart when sending your children to school for the best education in which they deserve.
This guest post was written by Martha Keagan who is a freelance writer, full time mother and part time local apartment rentals broker. She helps local residents find apartments in Orlando for lower monthly rent than they are currently paying.
