ORLANDO, Fla. — An elementary school near Orlando’s Camping World Stadium is entering a new era as students head back to school.
The former Orange Center Elementary School in the West Lakes neighborhood is now the Orange Center STEAM Academy.
Orange Center parents voted in early 2026 to transform their children’s magnet school into a new model for hands-on learning.
Dana Wallace is among those who supported the change.
“Introducing more projects that kids are hands on, and I know one of my sons would definitely benefit from the hands-on learning,” Wallace said.
Principal Erin Albert said teachers, parents, Orange County Public Schools and the nonprofit Lift Orlando are teaming up to make the STEAM Academy work.
“I’m really hoping this model becomes this innovation lab of, ‘Let’s try something, see how it works and see how our students succeed,’ and then take those pieces of information and what we’ve learned out to the other schools,” Albert said.
Spectrum News/Keith Landry
She said Lift Orlando and the Neighborhood Schools Initiative are providing additional support so students can focus on learning.
Albert said the A in the STEAM model means the school will put a new focus on the arts.
“We’re having our music teacher expose them to musical theater and choir, as well as really just letting them fall in love with the arts,” she said.
Fifth-grader Essence Coar said the new model will allow teachers more creativity in their lesson plans.
“Giving us that freedom and that room to breathe, and not having to make sure this is done by this time and you’ve gotta get this amount of minutes,” Coar said.
Spectrum News/Keith Landry
Third-grade teacher Laurabelle Corbin said the new model should increase parent engagement.
“So, just expanding that relationship and giving them more opportunities to come in to be a part of the classroom community is really important,” Corbin said.
Orange Center STEAM Academy is still enrolling students who want to attend. The school will add a sixth grade next year and then seventh and eighth grades as it ultimately becomes a K-8 school.