TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a major breakthrough after months of debate, the Florida House and Senate have reached an agreement to fully fund advanced education programs, including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and AICE courses.
The decision comes as a relief to students and educators across Florida, where more than 90 schools offer IB and similar programs to approximately 16,000 students each year.
But at Cypress Creek High School in Orange County, uncertainty remains. Despite the funding agreement, the IB program at Cypress Creek may not be offered next school year. The district cites a lack of interest as the reason for phasing out IB and replacing it with the AICE curriculum. However, students say they were left out of the decision-making process and dispute the district’s claims.
“Pre-IB was taken out of our school before IB was taken out, which means that students were not put in classes that are meant to prepare them for the IB program,” said Zoey Salah, a current Cypress Creek student. “This decision was already made before this, before we found out in May and before we could do anything about it.”
Students, staff and alumni, who organized a protest at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, urged district officials to reconsider during a public comment of a Orange County Commision Board Meeting on Tuesday.
“I’m advocating for IB at Cypress Creek High School. Especially because of the opportunity you get to connect with other like-minded individuals academically. It really pushes you to do your best,” said Andres Rodriguez, a Cypress Creek IB alumnus.
If the IB program is eliminated, the nearest high school offering it is 20 miles away, a distance that could put the program out of reach for many Cypress Creek families.
While both IB and AICE are recognized by colleges nationwide, IB is often seen as offering more opportunities, especially for students aiming to study abroad for higher education.
“Especially those who are seeking higher education, like out of state or internationally, that is a huge loss of opportunity for them,” Rodriguez said. “Not just like, oh, this class is a college-level class, or you get college credit from it, you truly do some college-level research—it’s true prep in my opinion.”
As the district weighs its options, Cypress Creek students and supporters say they will continue to fight for a program they believe changes lives.