Orange County Public Schools Debut Two New High Schools

SchenkelShultz Architecture announced last week that it has completed two new high schools for Orange County Public Schools. Horizon High School and Lake Buena Vista High School, respectively located in the Winter Garden and Dr. Phillips areas of Orange County, Fla., will each include room for 2,700 students in the nation’s eighth-largest school district.

“Our goal in the design of these two campuses was to balance cost efficiency and functionality with a modern, 21st-century learning environment for students,” said David Torbert, Partner and Education Leader at SchenkelShultz. “The multi-use academic spaces support small-scale learning communities, multi-modal instruction, and project-based learning with the courtyard providing a place to extend learning, connection and collaboration beyond the classroom.”

Horizon High School
Photo credit: SchenkelShultz Architecture

According to a news release, both schools feature a centralized courtyard and an auditorium, gymnasium and media center up front for easy after-hours access by students and parents. The administration building offers a single, secure point of entry for each school’s entire campus. Other security features at both campuses include a full security system and cameras, a two-way emergency radio system, a voice-evacuation fire alarm system, fence-lined perimeters, card reader entrance controls, and a permanent generator.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

Digital Edition