The Creative Kid's Guide to Orlando Public Schools.
A breakdown of every OCPS magnet program in animation, film, digital media, and the arts, with honest takes on which neighborhoods make each one feasible.
For the kid who'd rather storyboard than play outside.
If you've got a kid who lives and breathes anime, who's been making stop-motion videos since they were eight, who'd rather sketch characters than do anything else, this guide is for you.
Most Orlando families assume their child's school options are dictated by their home address. For the basics, that's true. But when it comes to specialty programs, animation, film, digital media, performing arts, gaming, design, OCPS runs a magnet system that lets any student in the district apply to any program, regardless of where you live.
That's a huge deal for two reasons. First, your kid can attend one of Central Florida's top creative programs without you needing to move into the most expensive neighborhood in town. Second, it means the school question and the housing question get to be answered separately, which usually makes both decisions easier.
This guide walks through every OCPS magnet program in the arts, media, and creative-technology space, from elementary through high school. It tells you what each one actually does, who it's right for, and, because I'm a real estate agent, not a school counselor, where it makes sense to live based on which school you end up choosing.
If you have questions, my contact info is at the bottom. No pressure to use me as your agent. Just send the questions.
How OCPS magnets actually work.
A short, honest explainer before you fall in love with any one school.
You apply online, once.
One electronic application per student via ocps.net/magnet-programs-home during the fall semester. List up to three magnet choices in order of preference.
High school is GPA-weighted.
80% of high school magnet seats are assigned by GPA. Only 20% go to random lottery. Middle school grades matter, this is the single most important thing to know.
You don't have to live in zone.
Magnets are district-wide. Your home address determines your default school, but doesn't restrict which magnets your child can apply to.
Transportation isn't provided.
OCPS doesn't bus magnet students from out-of-zone, so commute distance is a real factor. Most families drive, sometimes 25–40 minutes each way.
Some programs require auditions.
Visual & Performing Arts at Dr. Phillips and Performing Fine Arts at University both require auditions. The other media magnets do not.
Waitlists are real.
If your child doesn't get a seat in the lottery, they're added to the waitlist. Spots open through the spring and summer as families decline offers.
Sibling preference is K – 8 only.
Younger siblings of currently enrolled magnet students get preference, but only at the elementary and middle level. High school siblings apply through the same lottery.
Missing the deadline isn't fatal.
If you miss the fall window, the spring/summer waitlist application opens in April. Late applicants go to the bottom of the waitlist, but families do get pulled off every year.
For high school, your child's GPA matters more than where you live. For elementary and middle, geography matters more, feeder programs and sibling preference create natural paths into the high school you eventually want.
The creative kid's pathway, mapped.
Elementary → Middle → High School → College.
High School Magnets.
Five OCPS high schools run magnet programs that genuinely serve creative kids. Here's an honest read on each one.
Oak Ridge High.
Built in partnership with the University of Central Florida's School of Film and Digital Media, Oak Ridge runs what's openly described as the most extensive digital media program in Central Florida. The curriculum covers animation, web design, gaming development, electronics, and podcasting, and the UCF pipeline means students who do well here have a meaningful head start on Central Florida's film, animation, and tech industry track.
- Animation fundamentals, 2D and entry-level 3D
- Game design and gaming development
- Web design, electronics, and podcasting
- Industry certifications and college credit opportunities
Oak Ridge also hosts the 3DE by Junior Achievement magnet, an interdisciplinary program built around real-world business case challenges. Not directly creative-track, but it speaks to a school that's invested in non-traditional, project-based learning across the board.
Families with a kid whose passion is genuinely animation, gaming, or digital media production, and who want the most technically deep program OCPS offers. Less of a fit for theater/performance-oriented kids (look at Dr. Phillips or University instead).
Edgewater High.
Don't let the "Engineering, Science & Technology" name fool you, Edgewater's EST magnet is one of the strongest creative-technology pathways in OCPS, and it's frequently overlooked by parents searching for "animation school." Technology majors dive directly into 3D animation, graphic design, and gaming and simulation programming as core coursework, alongside the STEM rigor that opens doors to engineering and design careers later.
- 3D animation, graphic design, gaming and simulation programming
- Team-based EST STEAM projects simulating real engineering and tech workflows
- Internships, industry workshops, and industry forums
- Industry certifications and college credit opportunities
The magnet's name reads "engineering" rather than "media," so parents searching for arts programs often skip past it. The reality is that 3D animation and gaming/simulation are core to the tech track, and the STEM foundation around it is genuinely stronger than what a pure-media program offers.
Families with a kid who loves animation but also thinks like an engineer, or who want a program that keeps STEM and creative tech doors open simultaneously. Strong choice for technical animation, VFX pipelines, or game development as a career path.
Dr. Phillips High.
Dr. Phillips VPA is one of the most prestigious arts magnets in the state of Florida. The program offers tracks in Dance, Music, Television Production, Theatre, and Visual Art, with monthly community performance opportunities and regular mentorship from regionally and nationally known Artists-in-Residence. For families serious about a performance or media-arts trajectory, this is the gold standard in OCPS.
- Television Production track, the most directly aligned with media careers
- Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Art tracks for the broader arts kid
- Monthly performance and exhibition opportunities in the community
- Mentorship from visiting Artists-in-Residence
This is the catch. VPA requires an audition for admission, which means strong technical preparation in the chosen discipline matters more than for non-audition magnets. Plan early, kids typically prep for a year or more before auditioning.
Kids serious about a specific performing-arts discipline (dance, music, theatre, visual art, or TV production) who are willing to audition. Less of a fit for animation or game-focused kids, those students belong at Oak Ridge or Edgewater.
Evans High.
Evans is built around the technical, organizational, and managerial side of entertainment, the "back of house" of theatre and media production. Tracks include Digital Media Television Production, Sound and Music Production, and Entertainment Design and Technology. A Valencia College partnership lets students take college credit courses and pursue early admission while still in high school.
- Digital Media Television Production
- Sound and Music Production
- Entertainment Design and Technology (lighting, staging, technical theatre)
- Industry certifications and Valencia College dual enrollment
If Dr. Phillips trains the performer, Evans trains the people who make the performance possible, directors, sound engineers, lighting designers, stage managers, and production crew. Both are arts-adjacent, but Evans is the right call for kids drawn to how the show gets made rather than being in front of the curtain.
Kids fascinated by production technology, sound design, lighting, or the business side of entertainment. Strong pipeline into theme park, live event, and broadcast production careers, Orlando's biggest local industries.
University High.
University's Performing Fine Arts magnet runs a rigorous, performance-based curriculum across instrumental, dance, vocal, and theatrical arts. It's a serious arts program, less famous than Dr. Phillips VPA, but for families on the east side of town, it's the closer geographic alternative without sacrificing program quality. University also runs an IB Diploma magnet, so academically gifted arts kids can layer both.
- Instrumental and vocal music tracks
- Dance and theatrical arts
- Performance-based, ensemble-focused curriculum
- Possible layering with University's IB Diploma Programme
Performance-oriented kids (music, dance, theatre) on the east side of town, University is geographically far easier than Dr. Phillips from anywhere east of I-4. Not a fit for animation, gaming, or media-tech kids.
Feeder Schools.
Elementary and middle school magnets that build the foundation for the creative high school years.
Middle school stepping stones.
Where creative kids belong in 6th through 8th grade.
Howard Middle
The closest direct feeder to Dr. Phillips VPA and University Performing Fine Arts. Grounded in the belief that fine arts are a universal language, Howard's Academy of Arts integrates visual and performing arts electives with academic curriculum. Strong choice for kids on a Dr. Phillips or University trajectory.
Lockhart Middle
Not an arts magnet, but the closest middle-school feeder for kids on the Edgewater EST track. Computer science, aerospace, medical tech, and architecture, students can earn high school course credit and industry certifications. The right intermediate step for technically inclined creative kids.
Liberty Middle
Academic rigor pathway. Cambridge middle students get preference for open seats in the Colonial High Cambridge program. Worth considering if you want to keep both academic and arts doors open at the high school level.
Lakeview Middle
Spanish or American Sign Language immersion. Strong choice if you want your child building bilingual literacy alongside their creative interests, useful for animation/storytelling careers in a globally distributed industry.
Elementary foundations.
Where the creative-track journey can start.
Maxey Elementary
The most direct elementary arts magnet in OCPS. Students refine skills in music, two- and three-dimensional visual arts, and dance education from kindergarten onward. Natural feeder into Howard Middle's Academy of Arts and ultimately Dr. Phillips VPA.
Bay Meadows Elementary
Project-based STEAM learning with career theme integration. Strong fit for creative-tech leaning kids who'll eventually want Edgewater EST or Oak Ridge Digital Media.
Orange Center Elementary
Hands-on, lab-based environment with strong technology and engineering integration. The "A" in STEAM (art) is genuinely emphasized, not an afterthought. Pairs well with Bay Meadows as an alternative.
Orlando Gifted Academy
District-wide zoneless magnet for identified gifted students entering 2nd through 8th grades. Project-based and extended curriculum. The right call if your child is gifted and you want the most academically intense environment OCPS offers, they can layer arts interests on top.
Where to Live.
Now that you know the schools, the real estate question is much easier to answer.
Where to live, by school.
Once you've narrowed the school, the housing search gets simpler.
South Orlando & the SoDo corridor
Oak Ridge sits south of downtown off Oak Ridge Road, near the airport. Most efficient neighborhoods: south Orlando proper, SoDo/Delaney Park, Conway, parts of Belle Isle. Townhomes and smaller single-family in the $400K – $600K range are realistic.
College Park & the I-4 corridor north
Edgewater sits on Edgewater Drive in College Park, one of the easiest commutes possible if you live in the neighborhood itself. College Park, Audubon Park, and Ivanhoe Village all work. Single-family bungalows from the $450Ks; townhomes lower.
Southwest Orlando
Dr. Phillips itself is mostly out of the $400-500K range, but townhomes and condos in Bay Hill, MetroWest, and parts of Windermere proper sit in budget. Hunters Creek and Dr. Phillips proper give you in-zone defaults if the magnet audition doesn't pan out.
West Orlando & the 408 corridor
Evans is on Silver Star Road in the Pine Hills area. Closest comfortable neighborhoods for commute are along the 408 corridor, College Park (reverse direction), Rosemont, parts of Pine Hills. Realistically the most budget-friendly of the five.
East Orlando & the UCF area
University HS sits north of UCF off Dean Road. East-side neighborhoods make commute trivial. Townhomes in Avalon Park, Waterford Lakes, and Union Park work well at $400-500K. Strong rental resale market here if you ever need to pivot.
When to apply, when to plan.
Apply early, the fall window gives you the best shot at lottery placement. Always check ocps.net/magnet-programs-home for the current year's exact dates.