The Orange County (Florida) district says it is halting new school construction for four years in the face of declining enrollment.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the pause on construction is a surprise for a district that has opened 28 new campuses in the last 10 years. But after it opens one new school in August and two others in 2026, Orange County is planning no other new schools until 2031.
“We don’t want to open up empty schools,” said Rory Salimbene, the district's chief facilities officer.
Orange County expects enrollment for the next school year to drop by about 3,100, plateau by 2027 and start picking up again in 2031.
The district's 10-year construction plan assumed enrollment would increase this year, but revised projections have prompted officials to delay most new campuses by a year or two.
The district blamed declining enrollment in large part on the expansion of Florida’s school voucher program and homeschooling services, which have lured many students away from public schools.
But by 2031, the district again expects it will need more campuses, mostly in high-growth suburbs, including Apopka, Horizon West and Lake Nona. So school construction work will restart then, with plans to open six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools in the span of five years.
Since voters approved a half-penny sales tax for school construction in 2003, Orange County has opened at least one new school almost every year.
The district’s newest school, Luminary Elementary School, opens in August and will relieve crowding in nearby Eagle Creek and Laureate Park elementary schools. Laureate Park now has about 1,250 students on a campus meant for 790.
