Windermere Preparatory School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, coeducational PK–12 college preparatory school in Lake Butler, an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

, within the

Orlando metropolitan area The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, Central Florida as well as for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the ...

. Established in 2000 and in proximity to the Town of Windermere, it is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Florida Council of Independent Schools, and International Baccalaureate World School. It is a part of the

Nord Anglia Education Nord Anglia Education, commonly referred to as Nord Anglia, is a provider of international schools. The head office is in Nova South, 160 Victoria Street, London. Nord Anglia has 70+ private day and boarding schools which are located in 30 co ...

network.

History

The school opened on September 5, 2000 using temporary classrooms, with an enrollment of 184 students and 25 teachers. Today, that enrollment has grown to 1,520 students including day and boarding on a campus on Lake Cypress. Windermere Preparatory School opened on September 5, 2000, with an enrollment of 184 students housed in 12 portable classrooms, and taught by 25 faculty members. In the last thirteen years the school has grown to 1,400 students. Presently, WPS employs over 160 faculty and staff. In 2016 it had 1,200 students. In 2021, the school reported 1,800 students.

Academics

Windermere Preparatory School offers PK3 – Grade 12 education, plus boarding for Grades 7–12 under the Nord Anglia Education Family of Schools.

Activities

Athletics

Windermere Prep competes in

Florida High School Athletic Association The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high schools in Florida. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Florida uses ...

's Legislative Division 16. Pg. 169 In 2007, a player on the boys golf team won the FHSAA Regionals, and went on to finish 31st at the FSHAA State Finals. The Windermere Prep Blue basketball team came in second place and the Red Team came in 1st place in each of their leagues. In 2016, the Windermere Prep Boys Varsity Basketball Team won the Florida State Championships and the city of Windermere named March 8, 2016 "Windermere Prep State Championship Day." From 2013 to 2015, an individual distance runner won 6 state titles in both cross country and track & field. Won the state championship two years in a row at cross country, 1600m run, and 3200m run.

Robotics Team

WPS also has a robotics team that competes in the

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

. In 2006
Team 1649, aka Team EMS
(Engineers Mentoring Students), won the

FIRST First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

Florida Regional. It also won the FIRST Florida Regional in 2009, and went on to finish as semifinalists at the

FIRST Championship The FIRST Championship is a four-day robotics championship held annually in April at which FIRST student robotics teams compete. For several years, the event was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to the Edward Jones Dome in ...

, ranking 18th worldwide. Along with regional champion awards, the team has been recognized with other awards such as the Rookie All Star Award, Innovation in Control Award, Judge's Award, and most recently the 2011 Florida Regional Creativity Award.

Girls Golf Team

In 2010 and 2011, the girls golf team won back to back FSHAA State Championships led by Shannon Aubert, the individual winner of the state championship. The girls team has produced many college golfers that went on to compete at schools like Stanford, Georgetown, Florida, and Rollins.

Boys Golf Team

In 2010, the boys golf team won the district and regional championship earning the schools first team bid to the state championship. The team repeated this accomplishment in 2011 reaching the state championship for back to back years.

Notable alumni

Spencer Pigot Spencer James Pigot (born September 29, 1993) is an American racing driver who currently drives in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Personal life Pigot was born in Los Angeles and raised Pasadena, California, and Orlando where he graduated from ...

, auto racing driver *

Fanbo Zeng Fanbo Zeng (; born January 11, 2003) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Zeng committed to Gonzaga University in November of 2020, but later instead chose to withdraw from ...

, professional basketball player

References

{{authority control Private high schools in Florida High schools in Orange County, Florida Educational institutions established in 2000 Private middle schools in Florida Private elementary schools in Florida Preparatory schools in Florida Windermere, Florida Nord Anglia Education Boarding schools in Florida 2000 establishments in Florida