Vanguard High School is one of seven public high schools in Marion County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The school serves the northeast area of

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

. Vanguard offers the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

program, which accepts students from across Marion County and from surrounding counties and accounts for approximately 25% of the student population. In addition to the IB Program, Vanguard High School is the home of the Future Educators Academy. Graduates of the Future Educators Academy have the opportunity to dual enroll and complete their AA degree upon high school graduation. Vanguard's mascot is a knight and the school colors are red, white, and blue. Notable alumni include

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football player

Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCF and was selected ...

and

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, co-founder of

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. The Vanguard Knight's cross-town rivals are the Forest High School Wildcats. Raney's Inc., Siva MD PA and AdventHealth are the school's business partners. The student population as of the 2021-2022 school year is 1,600 students. The school is staffed by 120 people.2006-2007 Vanguard High School Year Book, Page 1

IB Program

In 1996, Vanguard began involvement with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Vanguard is currently recognized as an IB World School. Vanguard was the 26th High School in the State of Florida, and currently one of only two schools in Marion County, along with

Lake Weir High School Lake Weir High School (LWHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated southeastern Marion County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Marion County School District and serves students residing in southeastern Marion County, inclu ...

, to offer this curriculum. Students accepted into the program take advanced classes for their Freshman and Sophomore years, which prepare them for the actual IB courses taken in Junior and Senior years. Students can be accepted into the program as ninth or tenth graders, but eleventh and twelfth graders can only transfer in from another IB school. The first two years are termed as Pre-IB and consist of a combination of Advanced Placement, Pre-IB or Honors courses designed to prepare students for the actual IB courses and exams.

Integration

Vanguard was the first integrated school in Marion County.

Notable alumni

* P. J. Williams – Cornerback for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL * Kenny Clark – Former wide receiver for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

in the NFL *

– Former quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in the NFL *

Drayton Florence Drayton Florence, Jr. (born December 19, 1980) is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played coll ...

– Former cornerback for the

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in the NFL *

Travis Mays Travis Cortez Mays (born June 19, 1968) is an American women's basketball coach and former professional player who was the women's head coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2016 until 2021. Mays was selected by the Sacramento Kings i ...

– Former NBA basketball player *

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- Federal Judge *

- Co-founder of the social networking site

. *

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– Actor, plays Papa Midnight in

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- Former football player for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL *

Tyree Gillespie Tyree Gillespie (born September 5, 1998) is an American football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round of the 202 ...

- Current NFL football player for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL

Notes

Notably the Vanguard High School class of 2005 still holds the record among all the county schools for the most eligible graduates in the history of the Marion County Public school systems records.

References

* 2006-2007 Vanguard High School Year Book

{{authority control Buildings and structures in Ocala, Florida High schools in Marion County, Florida Public high schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 1969 1969 establishments in Florida

IB Program

Integration

Notable alumni

See also

Notes

References