MINNEOLA, Fla. – Lake County is preparing to open its newest school in a section of Minneola that has been seeing an explosion in growth.
On Wednesday, district officials and local leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Minneola Horizon Academy.
The K-8 school will have an academic focus on aviation, aerospace, and engineering.
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“Our students from kindergarten all the way to eighth grade will have opportunities to interact with drones, and coding, and engineering. Something that you typically wouldn’t imagine in a kindergarten or pre-k classroom,” Principal Andrea Nelson said.
One of the school’s listed priorities is to “cultivate curiosity and passion for aviation and space exploration through a strong foundation in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education.”
Nelson said the campus will welcome more than 900 students when classes begin on August 11, which will give overcrowding relief to nearby schools.
“Down on the south end, it’s no secret, there’s been tremendous growth and that growth ebbs and flows and changes on a year-by-year basis,” Deputy Superintendent Chad Farnsworth said.
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According to U.S. Census data, Minneola had a population of 13,973 in 2020, but the 2025 population estimate is 20,531, which represents a growth of 44.53%.
According to the district, the area’s growth also paid for the $65 million project, which was entirely funded by impact fees on new housing units.
“It’s our lifeline from growth, and there’s no way we could build a facility as fabulous as this without impact fees,” Farnsworth said.
Additionally, Minneola Horizon Academy will benefit from the district’s partnership with Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority.
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In 2024, the district signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Space Florida to begin implementation of the Space Florida Academy Program, which aims to connect students with high-demand credentials and skills necessary to work in the aerospace industry.
Students and families will have an opportunity to explore the three-story building and the surrounding campus during a “Meet the Teacher” event on Aug. 6.
More details on the new campus can be found here.