Central Florida holds several strong private schools, and the best ones cluster in the western suburbs where our team works every day. Winter Garden, Windermere, and Clermont each have well-regarded options, and they are not interchangeable.
School district lines drive a lot of home searches here. Plenty of buyers pick the private school first and the house second. If that is you, this guide covers the standouts by city, with current Niche grades and what each school does best.
We kept this to three cities on purpose. These are the markets our team knows firsthand. There are good schools elsewhere in the region, but we would rather tell you what we know than pad the list.
One honest note up front. Most of our agents are raising kids in these communities, and some of those kids attend the schools below. This is not a list we pulled off a ranking site. It reflects what families here actually consider.
| School | City | Grades | Niche grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windermere Preparatory School | Windermere | PK-12 | A+ |
| Foundation Academy | Winter Garden | PK-12 | A+ |
| Family Christian Center School | Clermont | K-12 | See note below |
Source: Niche 2026 school rankings (niche.com). Grades reflect Niche's current published data, accessed July 2026, and change year to year.
How to compare schools before you buy
Start with Niche. It grades schools across the country using U.S. Department of Education data plus verified parent and student reviews, and it presents everything in a format you can read in a few minutes. For a homebuyer weighing neighborhoods, it is the fastest way to compare options side by side.
Grades shift year to year, so check the live profile rather than trusting any article, including this one. Use the letter grade as a starting filter, then read the recent reviews. Parents tend to be candid about class sizes, facilities, and how the school handles problems.
One thing Niche will not tell you is commute. A top school 25 minutes away in Orlando traffic changes your daily life. Map the drive from any home you are considering before you fall in love with a school.
Watch waitlists too. The strongest schools here fill early, and popular grade levels can close months ahead. Say a specific school is the whole reason you want a certain area. Call their admissions office before you make an offer on a house. A great home in the wrong catchment does you no good if the school has no seats.
Private schools in Winter Garden
Winter Garden's standout private school is Foundation Academy. It holds an A+ overall grade on Niche. It also ranks among the top Christian K-12 schools in the Orlando area. Winter Garden is one of the fastest-growing cities in Central Florida, and families drive much of that growth.
Foundation Academy opened in 1958 as a ministry of First Baptist Church Winter Garden, so it is approaching 70 years of operation. It serves roughly 1,100 students from preschool through 12th grade and reports 100% college placement dating back to 2010. The school earned national Blue Ribbon recognition in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The campus setup changed recently, so this trips up parents. Foundation runs three campuses. The Plant Street campus in downtown Winter Garden and the Lakeside campus near Windermere both serve the younger grades. The Tilden campus on the south side of town, on 63-plus acres, now handles grades 6 through 12.
Admission runs through an application and interview. The school accepts Florida's Step Up for Students scholarships, which matters for families who assume private tuition is out of reach.
Private schools in Windermere
Windermere's premier private school is Windermere Preparatory School, which holds an A+ grade on Niche and ranks #1 among private high schools in Orange County. Windermere itself sits in a strong district, but many families still choose Windermere Prep specifically.
Windermere Prep runs preschool through 12th grade and belongs to the Nord Anglia Education global network. Students can complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a demanding two-year track during the high school years that carries weight with selective colleges. Niche placed the school in the top 6% of private K-12 schools nationally for 2026.
The student body is genuinely international, drawing from dozens of nationalities, and the school offers both day and boarding options. Boarding is uncommon for a suburban school and is part of what pulls families from outside the area.
Weighing Windermere for the schools? Our guide to the history of Windermere covers the town itself. It also explains the strict small-town character that shapes daily life there.
Trying to match a school to a neighborhood you can actually afford? Our team knows which communities feed which schools and where the price ranges land across the west side.
Talk to our team about schools and neighborhoods Call 407-904-2702Private schools in Clermont
Clermont's most established private option is Family Christian Center School, a K-12 Christian school in South Lake County. Niche rates it around four stars from parent and student reviews and ranks it among the top private high schools in Lake County. It does not currently carry a top letter grade, so weigh it against your own visit rather than a headline number.
The school runs small, with roughly 340 students and a student-teacher ratio near 14 to 1. That size is the draw for many families. Reviews consistently mention how well the staff knows each student, which is hard to get at a larger school.
Family Christian Center holds full accreditation and runs a faith-based program with growing athletics. Some reviews flag the facilities, noting portable buildings rather than a large permanent campus, so tour it in person before you decide.
Clermont's public schools are well regarded too, so private is a choice here, not a rescue. Read our take on the history of Clermont for a sense of how fast the city and its family communities have grown.
Which school fits which buyer
Match the school to what you actually want. Foundation Academy suits families who want a large Christian school with strong athletics, fine arts, and a downtown Winter Garden anchor. It is the biggest of the three and offers the widest range of programs.
Windermere Prep suits families drawn to international curriculum, the IB diploma, and a globally diverse student body, and those open to boarding. It is the highest-ranked of the three and priced accordingly.
Family Christian Center suits families who want a small, close-knit, faith-based environment where every teacher knows their child. It trades scale and facilities for intimacy.
Tuition varies widely across all three, and scholarships change the math for many families. Do not rule a school out on the sticker price before you ask about Step Up for Students and other aid.
Also visit more than one. Grades and rankings narrow the list, but fit is something you feel on a campus tour. Two A-rated schools can feel completely different once you walk the halls and meet the teachers.
Working with a team that knows these communities
The Erica Diaz Team has closed more than $700 million in Central Florida sales and holds over 800 five-star reviews. Zillow recognizes the team as a Premier Agent, and the team ranks in the top 1% of agents in Florida. The Orlando Business Journal has recognized the team as well.
We serve Winter Garden, Windermere, Clermont, Ocoee, Montverde, Minneola, Davenport, Winter Park, and Orlando. Our office sits at 326 S Dillard St in Winter Garden, in the heart of the area these schools serve.
If schools are driving your search, tell us which ones. We can point you toward the Winter Garden homes for sale and the communities around it. The goal is the right school without a brutal commute.
Ready to line up a school and a neighborhood at the same time? Reach out and we will start with your top schools and work backward to the homes that fit.
Start your home search Browse west-side listingsSources: Niche 2026 school rankings and profiles (niche.com); Foundation Academy (foundationacademy.net); Windermere Preparatory School / Nord Anglia Education (nordangliaeducation.com); Family Christian Center School (fcc.school). All sources accessed July 2026. School grades, enrollment, tuition, campus assignments, and program details change frequently. Confirm current information directly with each school before making decisions. The Erica Diaz Team does not endorse any specific school and is not affiliated with the schools listed. The Erica Diaz Team is brokered by Homevest Realty, 326 S Dillard St, Winter Garden, FL 34787. MLS License #261211327.
