{"id":3486,"date":"2026-06-10T10:04:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3486"},"modified":"2026-06-10T10:04:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:04:51","slug":"lake-county-schools-to-merge-two-middle-schools-by-2027-28-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3486","title":{"rendered":"Lake County Schools to merge two middle schools by 2027-28 school year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Lake County School Board moved forward this week with plans to merge two of its middle schools \u2014 a change that would add students to an almost half-empty campus and boost academic offerings, officials said.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: What\u2019s the rule about greeting strangers on the park trail?<\/a><\/p>\n

The plan will shift Oak Park Middle School\u2019s students and staff to Carver Middle School by the 2027-28 school year, with renovations to expand Carver\u2019s capacity starting as soon as this summer.<\/p>\n

Both schools are in the Leesburg area, and they sit about three miles from each other.<\/p>\n

The consolidation would bring about 500 students from Oak Park onto Carver\u2019s campus, which this year enrolled 656 students on a campus built for about 1,128.<\/p>\n

The schools will continue to operate independently for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n

To accommodate the merger, Carver will need to add five new classrooms,\u00a0according to the district\u2019s plan, which will cost about $5.4 million.<\/p>\n

Chad Farnsworth, the district\u2019s deputy superintendent, said at Monday\u2019s school board meeting that the district\u2019s conversations about the merger with school families were met with enthusiasm. The board agreed with the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody realizes the commitment that we have, making sure that those middle school students of the Leesburg area are able to have all the available opportunities that they deserve. I think it\u2019s really going to be a great change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Principals from both Carver and Oak Park middle schools spoke in support of the merger at Monday\u2019s meeting, wearing shirts with both schools\u2019 mascots that read, \u201cWe are stronger together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more With pal Jujubee aboard, Ginger Minj is ready to \u2018Stop! That! Train!\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Sherri Owens, a district spokesperson, said the merger would allow the district to offer a \u201cgreater academic impact\u201d by combining the academic and extracurricular offerings of the two schools, which both operated under capacity during the school year that just ended and offered limited elective courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder this proposal, students would have access to expanded elective options such as culinary arts, digital design, robotics, and other courses aligned with the CTE pathways available at Leesburg High,\u201d Owens wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n

The district is also exploring adding Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, or AICE, a program that offers advanced courses,\u00a0at the newly merged school, Owens said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe stand in solidarity and unity in the belief of this project, believing that it is something that is best for students, that will provide better opportunities for our students,\u201d said Tammy Langley, Oak Park\u2019s principal, at Monday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Oak Park, which has 521 students in a school built for 618, is projected to lose about 50 students over the next five years. The merged schools would enroll about 1,136 students by 2030, according to district projections.<\/p>\n

The Lake merger comes as school districts across Florida grapple with declining enrollment that has prompted school closures. In Orange County, the school district closed seven schools operating at about half-capacity this year and could close more campuses next year. And in Brevard County, the school board chose to shutter Cape View Elementary in Cape Canaveral in May.<\/p>\n

The Oak Park campus will be used in part by Leesburg Elementary School, which sits next door, when it undergoes planned renovations\u00a0set for completion by August 2029.<\/p>\n

Read more Largest ICE detention facility wasted millions and put detainees at risk, report finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lake County Schools to merge Oak Park and Carver middle schools by the 2027-28 school year, filling a school that is almost half empty and boosting academic offerings for students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLake County Schools to merge two middle schools by 2027-28 school year - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3486\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lake County Schools to merge two middle schools by 2027-28 school year - 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