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OCPS approves three targeted rezonings to align feeder patterns starting 2026
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Summary
The school board approved three targeted rezonings affecting elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high feeder patterns (Ocoee/Robinswood, Chain of Lakes/Carver, Cypress Creek/Lake Nona). The changes, approved Dec. 9, take effect in August 2026; grandfather transfer rules and a April 30, 2026 transfer deadline were noted.
The Orange County Public Schools board voted Dec. 9 to approve three targeted rezonings designed to better align feeder patterns and reduce student travel times, district staff said.
Stacy Neal, senior director of student enrollment, walked trustees through demographic tables and maps showing the proposed boundary changes and projected enrollments. For the first item, Neal said the entire Citrus Elementary zone would feed Ocoee Middle School and Ocoee High School under the proposal, moving about 48 middle-school students and evening projected school enrollments. "If approved, the entire Citrus Elementary School zone will feed into Ocoee Middle School and Ocoee High School benefiting 48 middle school students," she told the board.
A second targeted change would move 32 students from Chain of Lakes Middle School to Carver Middle School to align the feeder pattern for Eccleston Elementary and significantly shorten some bus rides (district staff cited a drop from about 6 miles to roughly 2.4 miles for the nearest affected families).
The third rezoning would realign Luminary Middle School to feed Lake Nona High School instead of Cypress Creek High School, shifting approximately 136 high-school–age students into the Lake Nona boundary and aligning middle-high school pathways.
Neal reviewed state-assigned permanent capacity figures (FISH) and demographic breakdowns for each affected school. She noted grandfather-transfer rules that allow students who have been rezoned multiple times within a school level to remain at their current school; she also flagged the deadline for grandfather transfer applications as April 30, 2026. "When rezoning, we do take into consideration students who are grandfathered," Neal said.
Board members asked whether any additional community input had been received since the November workshop; Neal reported limited new input and said community meetings and rule-development workshops informed the proposals. Each of the three targeted rezonings passed on motions from board members; staff said the changes will commence in August 2026 and that principals and executive leaders will coordinate implementation.
The approvals complete the public-hearing stage for these three boundary adjustments; further implementation details, including transportation assignments and communications to affected families, will follow in district planning documents.
