Orange Center Elementary School parents approved a plan to transition the public school into a public-private charter school starting this summer.
Orange Center parents voted 185 to 32 to approve the transition of the now-public STEM school into a public-private charter school, the first of its kind in the state.
The pilot program will be operated by Neighborhood Schools Initiative, an independent non-profit. It will work in collaboration with Lift Orlando, a nonprofit that works to strengthen the neighborhoods surrounding Camping World Stadium, and Orange County Public Schools during the transition.
“We are committed to working collaboratively with the district to provide the highest-quality educational experience for every child at Orange Center Elementary,” said Lift Orlando’s vice president of community impact Mark Shamley.
“We are honored to serve this community and to build on educational investments in a sustainable way, so that 10, 20, and 30 years from now, students emerging from these neighborhood schools are prepared to compete at the highest levels,” Shamley said.
The new charter school will provide wrap-around services, like after-school programs, early learning and healthcare.
The transition began in October, following a unanimous vote by the Orange County School Board. This month, parents were given ballots to vote on the approval of the conversion. They were counted Thursday.
The program is launching in July ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. Lift Orlando said students currently zoned for Orange Center Elementary will get priority enrollment and current staff and teachers will be prioritized for hiring at the new charter, should they wish to remain.
Lift Orlando plans to expand the school by the 2029-2030 school year, transitioning the charter into a K-8 STEAM academy.
