Oviedo HS vs. Lake Mary HS (Orlando, Sanford: crime, houses, transfer)

[engrvet]

My husband has been commuting from Grand Rapids, MI to Maitland, FL for the past 6 months and is now ready to move our family down this summer. We have a daughter who will be entering 10th grade and a son who will be entering 7th grade. Their education is the most important consideration when deciding where to live. I am a little nervous about the quality of public schools in Florida from what I have read, but I'm impressed by Oviedo HS and Lake Mary HS. My daughter has talked about applying to Notre Dame, John Hopkins, Univ. of Mich, Duke, UNC and other colleges on that level. Do kids from Lake Mary HS and Oviedo HS get into top notch national schools? Both of my kids are straight A students in one of the best school districts (Forest Hills) in MI and also play sports all year. Athletics are very important: my daughter runs cross country, plays basketball, lacrosse and runs track; my son plays football, basketball, and lacrosse all year on a travel team. Are there youth boys lacrosse travel teams around Orlando suburbs? Is it true that Hagerty High does NOT have a cross country program? We are looking for a newer house in the $400,000-$600,000 range with a pool (we have one in MI that we can only use 3 months out of the year and are so excited to actually be able to use one most of the year) I'm a little worried about my kids' having culture shock going from their schools here (98% caucasian; <10%free lunch, 300 kids per graduating class, highly sheltered) to huge FL schools. My husband and I both went to very culturally and socioeconomically diverse schools and want our children to experience the real world. Does anyone have a recommendation on whether to live in Oviedo (in the part of town that goes to Oviedo HS) or Lake Mary, or if anyone has other suggestions I would be happy to hear them. Some people have suggested Seminole HS, Sanford HS, Lake Howell HS, Brantley HS, and Hagerty HS (only if it has cross country). Which HS is better academically and athletically? Which schools have the least problem with bullying/violence? Which have the students most accepting of new kids? Which community has the friendliest people? Lowest crime? Least congestion? Thanks so much for any input!

[ClC053103]

I am in a similar situation, coming from the same sort of district with the same demographics in PA. However, our son is only in elementary school. Our family is moving in June. We originally wanted Seminole Co due to their schools, but had to switch gears when it was determined my husband would be working southeast of Orlando and Seminole Co made for too long a commute. I looked for A rated schools with a 10 great schools rating, in areas that also have private school options should the public school not work out. With Lake Highland Prep being an easy drive from that area, you would be covered there! When we were starting our search in Seminole I was looking at homes feeding to Hagerty HS or Oviedo HS. You will find that your budget will go pretty far there too. Hopefully someone chimes in with specifics on the high schools for school. Good luck in your search!

[sergiodurante]

Overall, all the high schools in Seminole are quite good. However, if you want to get technical, the highest ranked high school in Seminole County is either Seminole High School or Lyman High School ( depends on which website or publication you refer to). Hagerty and Oviedo High School from what I understand, are currently ranked ahead of Lake Mary High and Lake Brantley ( in Altamonte). Although Lake Mary and Lake Brantley are still both highly rated.

A lot of what may affect your family's decision regarding which High School is the career path your kids may be leaning towards. For example, Seminole High School has the health academy and IB program while Lyman is nationally recognized for its engineering program, there's also Croom's Academy in Sanford if your kids are interested in technology and computer science. The great thing about living in Seminole County is that you can live in Oviedo or wherever and attend any High School through a capacity transfer ( assuming there's adequate room).

Regarding your question about athletics, I'm not entirely sure, what I do know is that Seminole and Lake Mary High have Lacrosse. I also know a few kids in my street that belong to travel lacrosse teams.

As far as which city is better to live in...I guess that depends on what you are looking for. I'm much more familiar with the Lake Mary area and prefer its proximity to I4 and it has more options for dining and retail. Also, with your housing budget, there may be quite a few more options in the Lake Mary area as there are a number of neighborhoods that are in that price range and into the millions. Oviedo is also very nice, its close to UCF, some may say it has a rural feel. You might find yourself having to do a bit more driving to get to certain restaurants and stores, although I know that there are more restaurants being built. I'm not exactly sure what is going on with the Oviedo Mall, I know there were plans for an outdoor type mall that was supposed to be near Downtown Oviedo.

Crime is relatively low in both Lake Mary and Oviedo, although you might see a bit more action if you live closer to the UCF side of Oviedo. Traffic congestion all depends on where you'll be working. Lake Mary has a fair amount of traffic on the weekdays due to the numerous companies that are based there, it seems to die down significantly on the weekends. Oviedo traffic may again depend on your proximity to UCF and where you'll be working. If you must travel to downtown or get on I4 from Oviedo during rush hour, then it might not be so convenient.

Good luck on your move. I might be biased since I live in Seminole County, but with your housing budget there are also other great options throughout the Orlando area. Winter Park, Windermere, Dr. Phillips are some other areas worth checking into with great schools as well.

[engrvet]

Originally Posted by ClC053103

I am in a similar situation, coming from the same sort of district with the same demographics in PA. However, our son is only in elementary school. Our family is moving in June. We originally wanted Seminole Co due to their schools, but had to switch gears when it was determined my husband would be working southeast of Orlando and Seminole Co made for too long a commute. I looked for A rated schools with a 10 great schools rating, in areas that also have private school options should the public school not work out. With Lake Highland Prep being an easy drive from that area, you would be covered there! When we were starting our search in Seminole I was looking at homes feeding to Hagerty HS or Oviedo HS. You will find that your budget will go pretty far there too. Hopefully someone chimes in with specifics on the high schools for school. Good luck in your search!

My husband loves the idea of Lake Highland Prep because they have one of the best lacrosse teams in the state. I've heard that they have great academics too, but I'm not ready to spend $40,000 each year for my two kids to attend

[engrvet]

Originally Posted by sergiodurante

Overall, all the high schools in Seminole are quite good. However, if you want to get technical, the highest ranked high school in Seminole County is either Seminole High School or Lyman High School ( depends on which website or publication you refer to). Hagerty and Oviedo High School from what I understand, are currently ranked ahead of Lake Mary High and Lake Brantley ( in Altamonte). Although Lake Mary and Lake Brantley are still both highly rated.

A lot of what may affect your family's decision regarding which High School is the career path your kids may be leaning towards. For example, Seminole High School has the health academy and IB program while Lyman is nationally recognized for its engineering program, there's also Croom's Academy in Sanford if your kids are interested in technology and computer science. The great thing about living in Seminole County is that you can live in Oviedo or wherever and attend any High School through a capacity transfer ( assuming there's adequate room).

Regarding your question about athletics, I'm not entirely sure, what I do know is that Seminole and Lake Mary High have Lacrosse. I also know a few kids in my street that belong to travel lacrosse teams.

As far as which city is better to live in...I guess that depends on what you are looking for. I'm much more familiar with the Lake Mary area and prefer its proximity to I4 and it has more options for dining and retail. Also, with your housing budget, there may be quite a few more options in the Lake Mary area as there are a number of neighborhoods that are in that price range and into the millions. Oviedo is also very nice, its close to UCF, some may say it has a rural feel. You might find yourself having to do a bit more driving to get to certain restaurants and stores, although I know that there are more restaurants being built. I'm not exactly sure what is going on with the Oviedo Mall, I know there were plans for an outdoor type mall that was supposed to be near Downtown Oviedo.

Crime is relatively low in both Lake Mary and Oviedo, although you might see a bit more action if you live closer to the UCF side of Oviedo. Traffic congestion all depends on where you'll be working. Lake Mary has a fair amount of traffic on the weekdays due to the numerous companies that are based there, it seems to die down significantly on the weekends. Oviedo traffic may again depend on your proximity to UCF and where you'll be working. If you must travel to downtown or get on I4 from Oviedo during rush hour, then it might not be so convenient.

Good luck on your move. I might be biased since I live in Seminole County, but with your housing budget there are also other great options throughout the Orlando area. Winter Park, Windermere, Dr. Phillips are some other areas worth checking into with great schools as well.

Thank you very much for all of your information. My husband loves Winter Park / Maitland area but I can't find anything in our price range with a pool! The houses are extremely expensive there. The kids and I will be flying down in June to check out the area.

[ucfjtm]

Originally Posted by engrvet

Thank you very much for all of your information. My husband loves Winter Park / Maitland area but I can't find anything in our price range with a pool! The houses are extremely expensive there. The kids and I will be flying down in June to check out the area.

For his commute's sake, I'd stick to Lake Mary or Lake Brantley HS. $400-600k goes a long way in the Longwood/Lake Mary area. Commuting from the Oviedo/Hagarty area to Maitland is not fun. A friend does it during rush hour and it's at least 45 mins during rush hour.. easily at least twice as long as Longwood/Lake Mary to Maitland.

Sweetwater, Sabal Point, Markham Woods.. plenty of options with a $600k budget.

[Crane's Rooster]

Lake Brantley has traditionally had a great lacrosse program for what it's worth.

[Gator1983]

Lake Mary HS is a good school. Both my boys went there and one went on to graduate with a Masters from Stanford University and the other is at UCF. Lake Mary sends kids to schools all over the country. My older was in cross country which has a strong program. Lake Mary has the top overall athletic program in the county. Lacrosse is big.

Lake Mary has a wide range of neighborhoods.

Good luck.

[beckycat]

Both are good schools. My kids went to Lake Mary High.