WINDERMERE, Fla. — Parents in Southwest Orange County got their first look at one of three new schools coming to the growing Horizon West area next month.
- Horizon West Middle School opens in August
- To Hold 1,185 students, serve as a relief school
- 2 elementary schools also opening in that area
Horizon West Middle School held an open house Wednesday night for the public to check out the new school.
The school will hold 1,185 students, acting as a relief school for Bridgewater Middle School, will feature classrooms with new computers and interactive touch screens, art and music labs, and expansive sports fields.
"We really try to mirror the electives that the courses that Bridgewater offered," said principal Michelle Thomas. "So the students interests are really heavily impacted on what we offer here. Our performing arts, our CAT classes are really big here, our athletics are a big program here."
Two more relief schools for the Horizon West area will have open house events in the next week.
Castleview Elementary School has a sneak peak Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Water Spring Elementary School has a sneak peak on Wednesday, July 31, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The population of the Horizon West area in southwest Orange County has exploded over the last decade, so much so that schools built in that area 10 years ago, like Bridgewater Middle School, now need relief schools.
A 2006 Orange County report estimated that Horizon West's population is expected to reach as many as 52,000 people by 2025.