FUTURE & CURRENT SCHOOLS
I n the 8th largest school district in the U.S. and one of the fastest growing areas in the country,
by Brian Koss
Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) is constantly planning for the construction of new schools to
ensure that current schools do not continue to run over capacity in the long term. In Horizon West,
Summerlake Elementary opened their doors for the 2020-2021 school year. Two additional relief schools,
Horizon High and Water Spring Middle, are open to students as of August 2021 for the
2021-2022 school year. Our area's explosive growth comes with growing pains for such
a sought-after school district, but OCPS and our District 4 School Board
Member Pamela Gould continue to engage with involved and passionate
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community members by providing updates and opportunities to be
involved in the process. Here's the process that OCPS follows for each new school...
Identify
Needs
A cquire
SchoolSites
As neighborhoods are built and population grows,
OCPS Iooks at a variety of statistics to project
enrollment in order to address new school construction.
How Much
Do New
Schools Cost?
Elementary @ $25 M
Middle @ $35 - $40 M
OCPS considers all available land that fits requirements
in order to identify and secure the most viable options.
Design
Set Zones
High @ $115 M
OCPS works alongside the local community to gain input
on design and construction of the new school to address
s afety, environmental impact and cost.
School zone maps are developed with consideration
for distance from school, safety, equity and natural
boundaries like busy roads and bodies of water.
Build School
Building an elementary school takes about a year.
A middle school takes about 18 months. Building
a high school takes about two years.
MANAGING GROWTH & REZONING
Between 2021 - 2030 Horizon West is getting over a third – 7 of the 19 – planned new schools in the county.
Schools are built concurrently with growth, which means OCPS does not wait until an area is fully built out
before beginning the planning and construction of new schools. The primary sources for construction funding are
the half-penny sales tax and impact fees paid for by developers. While the impact fees stay local, the sales tax
revenue is required to be spread across the county. As some schools reach capacity and await the completion of
relief schools, portables are brought in to serve as classrooms to ensure student learning can comfortably take place.
As neighborhoods continue to be built and the population expands, the rezoning process for new schools may
result in newer neighborhoods being rezoned several times in order to align students to the nearest school and to respond
to overcrowding. When Horizon West is fully built out, enrollment at each school will normalize. The list below
is subject to change. You can find the latest updates to the OCPS 10 year Capital Plan in our online School Guide at:
HorizonWestMagazine.com/SchoolGuide
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Opening in 2022
• Town Center - Silverleaf
North Area: 89-E-W-4
• Seidel Area: 114-E-W-4
Opening in 2024
• Hickory Nut - inside
Waterleigh: 47-E-W-4
Opening in 2027
• Ovation: 126-E-W-4
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Opening in 2022
• Town Center: 132-M-W-4
Opening 2023
• Hickory Nut:
Water Spring Middle School
will move to their own campus
Schools
on the
Horizon
/SchoolGuide