FORECAST 2026: Horizon West's newest elementary school

It has been a career-long dream for longtime principal Patty Harrelson.

And in 2026, it finally will come true.

Harrelson, current principal at Orlo Vista Elementary School, will take the helm to open a new elementary school in August.

As a longtime West Orange resident, Harrelson watched Horizon West develop into what it is today and was excited to learn a new elementary school would open in the area. 

“I have always wanted to open a new school and decided to throw my hat in the ring for it,” she said. 

Previously, she has opened a new building added to an elementary school she oversaw but never had the opportunity to open a school from the ground up.

Harrelson will finish the year at Orlo Vista while also working on the opening of the new $38.6 million school, located off Hartzog Road.

Harrelson has been a principal at OCPS for 20 years and said this is an exciting new chapter. 

BUILDING THE CULTURE

The new school, located on a 15-acre parcel on Hartzog Road, is being built as a relief school to Panther Lake and Water Springs elementary schools. 

Of course, a school is just a building without its community and culture. And Harrelson is excited to use her expertise to establish that part of this new campus.

“One of the mantras I always maintain wherever I lead is excellence,” she said. “No matter your socioeconomic background, country of origin or situation, I want students to know that excellence is attainable for them. The scaffolds and supports needed might be different, but I want to see all of our students excel and achieve academically and in all other areas.” 

Harrelson is passionate about creating a culture of inclusion and family, ensuring every student feels welcomed. 

“School should be a place that is exciting and motivates students to come and grow every day,” she said. 

To ensure culture is established before the opening of the school, community members will be able to give their input regarding the school’s name, colors and mascot at a future date not yet announced. 

Once choices have been narrowed down, the Orange County School Board will vote on them.

And although Harrelson is excited for the grand opening, she expects a few challenges along the way.

“Obviously, the first year at a new school always brings the challenge of not knowing any of your students yet, but it doesn’t take me long to get to know them,” she said. “I am a principal who does my best to learn every child’s name, so I will get to work on that right away.” 

Another challenge will be hiring a staff that has never worked together before. Harrelson said she plans to provide plenty of team-building resources to bring everyone together to learn and use one another’s strengths to build a strong school community. 

“I consider myself a problem-solver and love the synergy of working collaboratively with teams to remove barriers to learning,” she said. 

She wants the campus to be a place where all cultures are honored and where students can begin and continue their learning journey. 

“I hope to build a beautiful tapestry of students and staff coming together to create an exciting, engaged and innovative family of learners,” she said. “I want to connect with our community and get them involved. … I would love to see our school be a lighthouse for our families, providing a place where they can find connections through our school-wide events.” 

Harrelson said she loves being a principal and hopes to advocate for every student and family. 

“I can’t wait to meet all of my new students and families and to get this amazing community and school off the ground,” she said. “Great things are coming, and I am blessed to be a part of this specific moment in history.” 

A NEW SCHOOL? NOW?

With Orange County Public Schools making headlines as it considers closing as many as seven schools, it might seem off that the district is opening a new one.

Put simply, it’s a numbers game.

Currently, there are 828 students enrolled at Panther Lake, which has a capacity of 837 students. Water Springs has the same capacity but has an enrollment of nearly 1,100 students.

This means Panther Lake Elementary is reaching full capacity at 98%. Water Springs Elementary is over-capacity at 131%. The new elementary school will be able to house 834 students. 

The plan is to bring all three schools down to a 650 to 750 students. 

Horizon West is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, with a population growth of more than 300% since 2010. And this new school will be the second relief school in Horizon West to help Water Spring Elementary’s continuous growth. Atwater Bay Elementary opened in 2024.

However, other parts of the county have experienced the opposite. Over the past three years, student enrollment has decreased by about 8,667 students — 4.6%. 

According to OCPS officials, factors that have contributed to the reduction of student enrollment include an increased use of Florida’s vouchers, a decline in birth rates, a population shift in older established neighborhoods and changes in immigration laws and Temporary Protected Statuses for immigrant families. 

One of the seven schools up for consolidation is Orlo Vista, Harrelson’s current school. 

Orlo Vista Elementary has a capacity of 735 students, although recent enrollment numbers hover around 430 to 440 students. 

Orlo Vista, along with Union Park Middle and Bonneville, Chickasaw, Eccleston, Meadow Woods and McCoy elementary schools, are projected to show a continued decline in enrollment. 

The new Horizon West school will be one of the two elementaries OCPS will open in 2026.  The second will be located in Lake Nona, offering relief from crowded schools in the area such as Laureate Park Elementary. 

These schools will be the last new relief campuses in Orange County for several years. The district does not expect any significant growth in enrollment until 2031, which is when new relief schools will begin to open. 

THE CAMPUS

The $38.6 million, two-story school will feature a single, secure point of entry at the main entrance. 

The first floor of the school will include classrooms, administrative offices, labs, kitchen facilities, media center, art and music rooms, and a multipurpose cafeteria. 

The second floor will consist of additional classrooms and labs.

On the outside, there will be basketball courts, playfields, a dedicated area for future portables, a covered playground area and tot lot, with a youth lot and a courtyard with two green spaces. 

The parking lot will consist of 150 parking spaces, with 168 vehicles being able to fit in the car loop. There also will be bike racks. 

The school will feature a variety of sustainable building systems, such as water-saving toilets, faucets and fixtures, light-colored roofs to reduce heat, energy-efficient LED lighting, low-water plants to reduce water consumption and thermal-efficient windows. 

Students will have access to daylight in all classrooms, as well as most places at the school, with 75% of the campus providing natural light. 

Parents will have access to clear and marked patterns on surrounding streets and in the parking lot. The bus loop is on the opposite side of it to ensure an efficient traffic flow. 

Construction on the school nearly is complete.