Florida’s growing public school system is ranked 7th in the country for K-12 student achievement and is also a national leader in increasing the number of public school students who are taking and succeeding on Advanced Placement Exams. Through the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), the state has implemented high standards for all public schools, and the payoff is evident here in Central Florida. Here are “the facts” about our region’s four school districts.

Public Schools

The Facts About Orange County Public Schools

• Orange County Public Schools, our region’s largest district, serves a diverse population that includes urban (Orlando), suburban and even rural communities; 132 languages or dialects are spoken by OCPS students.
• 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.
• Overall, in 2008 Orange County Public Schools earned an “A” district grade from the state Department of Education, one of just three urban districts in Florida to receive the top grade. District grades are based on FCAT results of all students tested in the district.
• In 2008, a total of 126 Orange County schools (74%) were high-performers, earning “A” or “B” grades, based on FCAT results in reading, math, writing and science.
• In 2008, results of FCAT testing indicate more Orange County students are equal to or better in their grade-level learning proficiency than at any time in the ten year history of testing.
• 72% of 2003 Orange County ninth graders graduated within four years, in 2007. That graduation rate was far higher than the 49 percent peer group that graduated in 2000.
• The number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests taken by OCPS students has increased 84% in the past two years alone.
• 15 of Orange County’s 18 high schools made Newsweek magazine's 2008 “Top of the Class” list placing them among the top five percent of schools in the country based on breadth of rigorous academic programs.
• OCPS has a total of 626 nationally certified teachers, the profession’s highest credential.
• OCPS earned an A+ grade from Fitch Ratings reflecting the sound financial management and reserve levels that led to OCPS' $99.4 million certificates of participation in 2008. The region’s diversifying local economy also was noted as a contributor to this strong rating.

The Facts About Seminole County Public Schools

• Seminole County Public Schools are rated among the best in the state of Florida and among the top 100 school districts nationwide.
• The Seminole County Public School district is consistently recognized as an “A” Florida school district, with 93%of all schools awarded either an “A” or “B” rating in 2008.
• All eight of Seminole County’s four-year high schools are included in Newsweek’s “Top High School List”, which ranks schools in the top 5 percent of the nation based on AP/IB participation.
• In 2008, the SCPS graduation rate was 91.1%, ranking #6 in the state.
• For the past 30 years, SAT scores in Seminole have consistently exceeded state and national averages.
• More than 80% of SCPS high school graduates go on to higher education.
• Over 46% of Seminole County teachers have a doctorate, specialist or master’s degree, exceeding the national average.
• SCPS has spent more than $454 million on renovation of existing and construction of new schools in the past ten years and more than $42 million on technology for the schools and classrooms in the past five years.
• Over 24,500 volunteers donated 484,000 hours to 61 schools serving students from kindergarten through high school. This represents over $9.4 million worth of services donated to our schools by the community.
• Seminole County Public Schools was named an “Academically High-Performing School District” in the 2007-2008 school year, one of only ten school districts so named by the Florida Department of Education.
• Recipient of the 2008 Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Facts About Osceola County Public Schools

• Osceola County Public Schools has been awarded the District Accreditation of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
• Overall, the Osceola County Public School District rates a “B”, based on reading and math FCAT scores.
• 2007 FCAT scores reflect large year-to-year increases in reading over the past five years.
• Notably, 100% of Osceola County’s elementary schools improved their FCAT-SSS Reading Mean Scale Scores for third grade students when compared to the prior year, while 100% of Osceola County middle and high schools achieved scores of 3.5 or higher on FCAT Writing+.
• Two of Osceola County’s schools were recognized on Newsweek magazine’s annual list of Top 1,200 schools.
• Osceola is considered a “Super System for Quality Schools,” by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This rating indicates that all eligible elementary, middle and secondary schools earned accreditation status.
• Last year, nine Osceola schools were recognized by the Florida Department of Education as either a “Top High-Performing School” or a “Top School For Making Progress”.
• In an effort to recruit and retain the highest quality teachers, the Osceola County School Board provided the highest teacher salary package in Central Florida for the 2006-2007 school year.
• Osceola County ranks best-in-state in terms of administrative expenditures per student.
  

The Facts About Lake County Public Schools

• Lake County Schools (LCS), serves a student population totaling 39,851. Although it may be the smallest in terms of student population in the four counties, its success has been repeated time and again.
• The county is planning a Science Health Magnet High School, in partnership with Lake Sumter Community College, South Lake Hospital and the National Training Center, that would help students earn a diploma and medical related associate degree while in high school.
• 77.5% of LCS received a grade of "A" or "B" based on the state's A+ grading system.
• Overall, the LCS rate a "B", based on reading and math FCAT scores.
  Eight schools improved their overall school grade by at least one letter grade.
• The number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests taken by LCS students has increased 70% in the past two years alone.
• Over 38% of the LCS teachers have a doctorate, specialist or master's degree.
• Notably, the graduation rate for LCS is at 75%, above the state's average.
• LCS continues to provide state-of-the-art facilities for its students, and opened Saw Grass Bay Elementary and Grassy Lake Elementary in 2007-2008, along with two replacement schools, Mascotte Charter Elementary and Lake Hills School. East Ridge Middle School in Clermont opened for the 2008-2009 school year.
• Upcoming projects for LCS include a new elementary school in the Sorrento-Mt. Plymouth area, a new high school in south Lake County, and a replacement middle school in Groveland.

Technology Magnet Programs
Throughout Metro Orlando, magnet programs have been established within high schools to provide an opportunity for students to engage in intensive study in specific areas. These programs allow students at an early age to explore careers and to develop skills in broad disciplines including engineering, science, and technology, as well as in specializations such as microelectronics engineering, simulation applications, aviation and aerospace engineering and global information and future technologies.

Acceptance is required to the magnet programs, which attract top students from throughout the school districts. In fact, the popularity of the magnet concept has led to development of prototype programs as early as the elementary school level.

Academies of Information Technology
To address the national need for increased emphasis on integrating technology into K-12 curriculum, the National Academy Foundation has established a rigorous network of Academy of Information Technology (AoIT) programs in our nation's high schools. In Orange County, the AoITs operate as schools-within-schools and are at the following high schools: Apopka, Boone, Colonial, Cypress Creek, Timber Creek, University and Winter Park. Seminole County runs its single AoIT, Crooms Academy of Information Technology, as a magnet school for the entire district.

Local school boards work closely with the National Academy Foundation to ensure that curriculums address the needs of our region's local tech companies, and that access to the program is available to qualified students from throughout the district.